


Call Me Monster

by nuuuge



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha Kim Jongin | Kai, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Omega Park Chanyeol, Wolf AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2019-01-04 00:25:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12157845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nuuuge/pseuds/nuuuge
Summary: Chanyeol was never supposed to be an Omega.





	Call Me Monster

**Author's Note:**

> This is super self indulgent so be aware. I started this (I shit you not) A year ago and just like wrote and then forgot about it and then I'd find it again and write some more so it might kind of suck and not be very consistent. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it anyways. 
> 
> Not Beta read if any mistakes I'm sorry!

Chanyeol had always been waiting. He was one of the most undesired and knew it too. He knew how low he ranked in his pack, especially in looks and therefore continued to wait patiently, hoping that maybe one day he would get a courting gift. 

Chanyeol was tall, taller than most Omega’s in the pack. No, taller than  _ every _ Omega in his pack. He towered over his triplet brothers, Jongdae and Baekhyun, towered over the beautiful Joohyun and Seulgi… overall Chanyeol was just too tall. 

His height wasn’t the only problem. It was also his upbringing. Birthing multiples was rare. Most packs only ever had single births so for their family to have triplets was a miracle. All three pups surviving? Even more of a miracle. Their family had always been known for birthing extreme competent Alpha’s and beautiful Omega’s, so when three pups were born, everyone in the pack assumed one of them had to be an Alpha. 

That assumption fell upon Chanyeol. He was the youngest of the three, but the tallest, broadest and most playful. He would run around chasing his older siblings around. Chanyeol was loud, didn’t listen well when his parents or siblings told him what to do. All in all, Chanyeol just wanted to have fun and play. 

Unlike Baekhyun and Jongdae who were also playful and loud, but at times far more reserved. They would listen to their parents and older siblings, they would sit still to eat. Everything pointed towards them being Omega’s while Chanyeol was obviously going to be an Alpha… 

Fat chance. 

On the day of their sixteenth birthday all three boys fell into a dreadful heat. All three began writhing and begging for their hot skin to be cooled down. Everyone had expected Chanyeol to go into rut and yet there he was, writhing and begging for the heat to end. 

It had been a few months since then. The triplets were all Omega’s so different from their three older siblings who were Alpha’s. Baekbeom was bound to become head Alpha of the pack. Second was Jongdeok, also an Alpha and one of the smartest strategists in their area. The only female, Yura, was also an Alpha and one of the healers in the pack. 

Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel like he let everyone down. Yes, it wasn’t terrible to be an Omega, he never really minded what he would present as, but his whole life he’d been fed these ideas of being an Alpha, of protecting his triplet brothers from over zealous suitors and yet here he was, hanging out in the Omega hut with his brothers and all the other Omega’s learning how to take care of the pack once they were old enough.

There weren’t too many Omega boys’ it was rather rare, just like Alpha girls’ were a rare phenomenon as well. Chanyeol wished he wouldn’t be here in this hut, he wanted to go outside and run around in the forest, feel the wind running through his fur, but alas it was not so. He was stuck learning which berries were poisonous and which weren’t. 

Chanyeol looked over to his brothers with slight envy. He saw the presents from the different Alpha’s of the pack, all gifts to ask for courting. Jongdae and Baekhyun loved the attention. The older triplets had always been the more beautiful of the three. 

Baekhyun was tiny, thin, large eyes that shone when he smiled his signature box-grin. His hair was cut to frame his small face and accentuate his pale features. He was the one most Alpha’s desired. Even before he’d presented Alpha’s had tried to ask to court him once he presented.

Jongdae was a bit rougher around the edges, but his large eyes, dark hair and kitten smile could make anyone weak at the knees. He moved with grace and talked to anyone who would listen with a smile, making everyone feel welcome and at home around the young Omega. 

Chanyeol envied the two and how easy it seemed for them to attract Alpha’s and get them to ask to court them. They always accepted the gifts but Chanyeol didn’t think they’d ever actually gone out on any courting dates. 

“Don’t look so sad Chanyeollie.” Baekhyun sang, shoving his slightly younger brother a little. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and growled at the smaller Omega, “I’m not sad… I am just bored.” He replied, hoping it sounded convincing. He was sad… Even though he never thought he would be an Omega, now that he presented he felt the same needs as the others. He felt the need to cuddle, the need to take care and be taken care of. He wanted to be admired just like all the others, but none of that had happened. Chanyeol was still just the boisterous, loud child to everyone, no one even thought of courting him. No one even blinked an eye at him. 

“Don’t fool me. We’ll go outside later. I want to go see Junmyeon later. He said he has another gift for me.” Baekhyun explained sighing happily, looking off into the distance. Chanyeol wanted to scoff at his brother, wanted to roll his eyes, but he was actually happy for Baekhyun that he found someone like Junmyeon to take care of him. 

Chanyeol was happy that Junmyeon, the future head hunter, was taking such a keen interest in his brother. Growing up they’d all been close and for someone as sweet and helpful as Junmyeon to want to court Baekhyun was a blessing. 

Even though Baekhyun accepted most of the courting gifts, he didn’t reciprocate the courting and most Alpha’s gave up soon after realizing that the only one the young Omega had his eyes on was their future head hunter. 

Jongdae was much the same, making moon eyes wherever Kyungsoo went. Kyungsoo had recently presented as an Alpha, which was unsurprising. 

Him and Chanyeol had always been best friends, inseparable and everyone thought they’d be Alpha’s together someday. When Kyungsoo presented, nothing seemed to change for the pair, continuing to hang out and be around one another even though it wasn’t always ‘socially appropriate’ for an Alpha and Omega to be best friends. It had gotten so bad once that Jongdae, who had developed a huge crush on the younger Alpha, even blamed Chanyeol for taking all of the Alpha’s time up due to jealousy. 

That had been one of the worst days as an Omega for Chanyeol. He remembered his brother slapping him, telling him that he was trying to ruin his chances with the younger Alpha, when all Chanyeol had done was run around in his wolf form with the Alpha, both playfully trying to catch a rabbit… something the pair had done thousand of times before either presented. 

It was that day that Chanyeol realized that he really was an Omega. He had to focus on what people thought of him and if everyone in the pack thought he was trying to seduce Kyungsoo, then his image would be ruined and no one would want to court him… well no one was courting him anyways even without those images being spread of him. 

Since then, Chanyeol had eased up with Kyungsoo only hanging out with the younger Alpha when others were around. It had hurt at first, had really annoyed Chanyeol because him and ‘Soo were closer than most, but it had to be done. Jongdae’s jealousy was also appeased once Kyungsoo finally got him a courting gift. 

Kyungsoo had bugged Chanyeol for weeks about what colours and what furs Jongdae preferred, what size he likes, which types of bone he thought were the most beautiful, so he could make the perfect gift for the Omega. 

Of course Jongdae apologized and no hard feelings were between the triplets, but there was always this feeling of hurt in the back of Chanyeol’s mind. He was an Omega and now he was being treated like he couldn’t defend himself anymore, like he would go to any Alpha and just present for them… as though he didn’t have any self control. He hated it, because when everyone had thought he’d be an Alpha, everyone let Chanyeol do whatever he wanted. Now he had rules to follow, had to think about status and who he could talk to. 

The whole ordeal had passed over, but every night Chanyeol thought about it. Thought about his status and how it changed how others treated him and regarded him. He looked at his bedside table and the lack of knick-knacks there where everyone else would put their mountains of courting gifts. All Chanyeol had was a large empty bowl, not a single gift in there. Some nights he wanted to cry, but then he just told himself that crying over that would only satisfy those who felt Omega’s were just there for cooking and breeding. 

No, Chanyeol was better than that. He was strong and he’d been brought up as an Alpha, so he wouldn’t cry, just because his pack thought that he was too lanky and un-Omega-like to be courted. 

Later that night, Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongdae made their way out of the Omega hut and into the woods where they would be meeting with some of their other friends. They made sure not to be spotted by some of the guards because if anyone saw them running around outside in the middle of the night… it could end badly for them. 

Their whole pack liked to gossip and image was one of the most important things in the pack. So if any of the Omega’s were seen outside curfew running around in the woods, who knew what rumors could start. 

“We’re really close to the edge of our pack-lands.” Jongdae groaned, walking slowly over a fallen tree, almost stumbling but catching himself. He proudly wore the necklace Kyungsoo had worked weeks on to make for him, the beads and bones almost shining in the moonlight. 

Chanyeol chuckled at his brother taking a long stride over the fallen tree the other had just struggled to get over. Baekhyun was walking ahead of them with a grace neither of his brothers had inherited. 

“Guys hurry up we’re almost there. Junmyeon is waiting and Kyungsoo said he would be there too!” Baekhyun shouted over his shoulder, urging his brothers to walk faster. 

Chanyeol sighed and started walking a little bit faster, slightly afraid of his brothers rage. Baekhyun was small and innocent looking, but if he was denied anything he could become the most evil stepsister from any disney movie. 

Growing up the triplets had always listened to Baekhyun. He was the oldest of them and had always taken control. Chanyeol had always gone with whatever crazy ideas his brother had. He wouldn’t argue, knew that Baekhyun would just get mad and throw a fit so even though he felt he had to take control as the possible ‘Alpha’ he just let Baekhyun do the talking. 

They made it to the clearing where they usually met up with their friends. Ever since they presented, it had become harder to meet up with their friends due to stupid pack rules. Just because Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were Alpha’s they wouldn’t immediately mate with the Omega boys. 

Of course the two Alpha’s were already waiting, rushing forward to see their future mates. 

They wouldn’t mate soon, but it didn’t stop them from acting like love-sick puppies. The way they fawned over the Omega’s and made sure they were alright, inspecting the tiny cut Jongdae got when he tripped over a fallen branch. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at his friends and brothers feeling like a fifth wheel. Why he even came along he didn’t know. Once his brothers were with their intended all four just seemed to forget he was even there. 

Chanyeol walked off, ignored by the others, trying to find a comfortable spot just to hang out on his own. At least here he could be free. No smell of incense or whatever else they burnt in the Omega cabin to make it smell decent swirled through his nose. Here, out in nature, just the scents of plants, water and air mixed together. 

Chanyeol loved the smell here. Loved the natural beauty of it all, especially under the moonlight surrounding them. He treasured these moments, but as he looked around, he somehow wished he’d had someone to treasure them with him. 

He shrugged those thoughts off, scoffing at himself. He didn’t need anyone to enjoy nature with before he presented and he didn’t need it now either. Sure, having at least one person send him a courting gift would have been nice, but not all Omega’s immediately get courted. Some wait a few years and Chanyeol would be one of them. 

The tall Omega could hear Baekhyun giggling obnoxiously, Junmyeon saying something quietly to the Omega only to laugh again, the sound breaking through the serene silence of the clearing. 

The five had found this spot a long time ago. It was almost off their pack-grounds, making it slightly dangerous to come here. The pack scent wasn’t as strong so far off from their base. The fact that it was so cut off from most of the other people in their pack was what attracted the younger wolves to this place and ever since they were little this was where they went to meet up. 

Chanyeol got off the ground, his back aching a little and decided to just walk around again. He didn’t bother to tell his brothers seeing that they were cuddled up around a small fire with their Alpha’s and Chanyeol didn’t want to bother them. He smiled happily at the sight. 

He walked through some thick underbrush in the direction of their border. He knew that once he hit the river he’d be in enemy territory. Sure, they didn’t have an outright war with their neighbours, but the other pack wasn’t exactly friendly either. 

Chanyeol wasn’t sure of the real story behind the tension, but never bothered to ask. He just accepted the fact that he would have to steer clear of anyone from the opposing pack. 

Chanyeol looked around the area, large tree’s all around him, dirt and roots on the ground. Not much growth really due to the lack of light from the tree’s thick shade. It was still breathtaking. This place was untouched by people, just nature growing and expanding. Chanyeol loved it here, so quiet… it was stupid, but he felt at peace here. 

Of course his moment of perfect quiet was interrupted as a dark shadow jumped out from behind a tree. 

Chanyeol had been so focused on his surrounding, on looking at the different types of foliage and hoping to find some form of mushroom, even though it was far too dark to really make anything out, he hadn’t noticed a dark shadow rushing towards him. Chanyeol had overheard the breaking of stick and crunching of dead leaves, simply by being stuck in his own head. 

Chanyeol felt something collide with him, tackling him to the ground. Whatever it was it was huge, wet and panting. The young Omega was so startled he let out a high pitch scream, trying to fight whatever was holding onto him off. He smelled fright, wasn’t sure if it was his own or radiating off whatever wrapped itself around his midsection. 

Chanyeol tried to pry whatever off him, but claws dug into his sides painfully, keeping Chanyeol in place, making the Omega panic even more. He couldn’t focus and just let out another shout for help, hoping one of his brothers would hear him or Kyungsoo. He really hoped he hadn’t walked too far. 

In the darkness Chanyeol couldn’t get a good look at the figure holding him down. He saw dark hair, wet, soggy clothing drenching Chanyeol as well, almost as though whoever it was had just run through the river. 

“Shh… Shhh…” The person, Chanyeol realized it was a person, moved up, one hand over Chanyeol’s mouth, silencing the panicking young Omega who was thrashing now as well, “Don’t make noise. Don’t make noise. Please… you need to understand. Be quiet.” 

What was this guy on about? Obviously Chanyeol was going to throw a fit if some random person tackled him to the ground and then straddled him to tell him to be quiet. This wasn’t right. This was so wrong. No, Chanyeol wasn’t going to be quiet. 

He tried to push the person off him, but whoever this guy was he was way too strong. He smelled terrible, like sweat, fear and dirt. Chanyeol wanted to gag at the hand that was still over his mouth, muffling all the shouts of anger and fear the lanky Omega wanted to let out. 

“They’ll find me. Be quiet or they’ll find me. I can’t let them find me.” The guy mumbled and Chanyeol was sure he was attacked by a wildling. One of the shifters who had gone completely insane and just listened to their instinct to mate. They were terrible beings and on their packlands if one was found, was killed on the spot. 

All of a sudden the guy was thrown off Chanyeol, a huffing Kyungsoo standing a few feet away, eyes blazing red, Junmyeon right next to him, growling at the wildling. 

Chanyeol sat up, heart hammering against his ribcage, eyes wide, mouth open, trying to get some air into his aching lungs. Who was that guy? Why was he mumbling weird things about being found? 

Chanyeol was scared. Afraid of who he was, what he could have done. He hated his biology even more in that moment. All his life Chanyeol thought he would be strong, but now he couldn’t even throw off some delusional guy who seemed more insane than anything else? Pathetic. 

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun shouted, rushing towards his brother, Jongdae doing the same thing, the two brothers on either side of their triplet, soothing hands running over his arms and chest, checking for any injuries. 

The attacker was standing a bit off, looking between the five, eyes landing on Chanyeol and widening dramatically. 

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. I need to run. I need to get away. I need to find help. Please, help me. I need help. Please.” The guy mumbled. 

Chanyeol cocked his head to the side, looking at the distressed person in front of him. There was something odd about the guy. He seemed lucid enough to know he was doing wrong and was asking for help.. But for what? 

“Who are you?” Junmyeon growled moving forward. 

The guy shuddered and curled up begging for help once more, not answering the Alpha’s question. 

The three Omega’s moved closer together, never having seen Junmyeon so mad before. He was usually one of the calmest in their pack, didn’t raise his voice at all, but the other guy was a threat to his future mate and instincts seemed to kick in for the Alpha. 

“I need to find help. Please. I’ve been travelling for days trying to find help, but I was chased away by everyone. I just need help. I need someone to listen.” Chanyeol could hear the sincerity in the other guys’ voice. 

The Omega sat up and winced at the pain in his sides from where the other had dug his claws before. Chanyeol looked between the Alpha’s and his brothers before walking towards the stranger. 

“Chanyeol…” Kyungsoo growled, trying to stop the Omega from going any further, but Chanyeol wasn’t just any conventional Omega from their pack. He was the one Omega who never listened to an Alpha. Hell, even their father, head Alpha, had trouble keeping Chanyeol in line at times. 

“Who are you running from? Who are you even? What is your name? Why did you tackle me? Are you hungry?” Chanyeol asked curiously. 

The other flinched away from Chanyeol when the Omega got closer, closing his eyes and curling into himself, “I need help. I just need help. Can you get me help?” the guy asked. 

Chanyeol scoffed and rolled his eyes, slowly inching forward, making sure not to spook the other guy, because it seemed like something had scared him half into a craze before hence why he’d clung to the lanky Omega so tightly. 

“We can only help if you explain yourself.” Chanyeol stated.

Baekhyun and Jongdae gasped, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon looking at one another quite worriedly. They weren’t supposed to be out here. If anyone from their pack found out they were so close to their borders all five would be in big trouble. Chanyeol couldn’t make these promises to help the other. All of their hides would be on the line. 

“Chanyeol get back here.” Baekhyun hissed, “Don’t go making promises you can’t keep.” he added on sounding mad. 

Chanyeol ignored his slightly older brother and sat down a few strides away from the frightened being, “Are you a shifter?” 

The other nodded, uncurling a bit and looking over towards Chanyeol. 

The whole situation was bizarre and slightly frightening. Never before had Chanyeol been so close to someone from another pack. Chanyeol had always been fascinated by other wolves and where they came from, even as a child he’d wanted to tag along with his oldest brother when he’d gone on excursions to other packs. 

Now, seeing someone from a different pack, it was so interesting. The other didn’t smell like Alpha or Omega or Beta, but Chanyeol wasn’t sure if that was just because the other was far too dirty. 

“Did you come from over the river?” Chanyeol asked. 

The other nodded again. 

“Chanyeol get back here. Stop talking to this guy. He just tried to attack you. He just clawed at you. Are you fucking stupid?” Baekhyun exclaimed, rushing forward and grabbing Chanyeol by the arm dragging his brother away, “Don’t go talking to him. Don’t go near him. You don’t even know who he is. He might be a wildling.” 

Chanyeol stumbled after Baekhyun, whining at him, “I’m trying to get to know him.” He ripped his arm out of his brothers’ hold, “And if he was a wildling he would have already raped me ten minutes ago. Baek, he needs help. He looks tired and hungry and smells  _ distressed _ . We have to help him.” 

“Baekhyun is right. We can’t help him. We can’t let anyone know that we were here. We’ll get into trouble.” Junmyeon added on. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes at the pair, “He might really need help and you’re worried about a slap between the ears from our pack leader for leaving the huts in the middle of the night?” 

“Don’t be like that.” Jongdae sighed, “We don’t know anything about him. He could be dangerous.” 

“He would have killed me a long time ago if he was that dangerous. He was just scared.” Chanyeol defended. 

“Chanyeol shut up.” Kyungsoo growled, “We’re all going to go back and forget we ever saw this… this… this guy here. Okay? This never happened. He’s from a way different pack, we have nothing to do with him. Let him move on and find help elsewhere.” Kyungsoo turned to the other shifter, “Move on from our lands. We won’t tell anyone we saw you, but move on as quick as possible.” 

Chanyeol didn’t know why, but he felt like his chest was being crushed at his friends’ and brothers’ words. There was someone in need of help, someone who was scared and begging for someone to help him and they were just going to ignore him? It didn’t feel right to Chanyeol. 

“You’re too naive.” Baekhyun grumbled darkly. 

Chanyeol looked over to the other shifter, how broken he looked shivering in his cold, wet shirt. He didn’t look healthy and he didn’t feel dangerous, now that Chanyeol had calmed down. 

The lanky Omega shrugged off his jacket, shuddering at the cool gust of wind and threw it over to the foreign shifter, “I’m sorry.” Chanyeol whispered, but the shifter perked up and looked to Chanyeol one last time, their eyes meeting. 

Chanyeol gasped at the sight of dark orbs filled to the brim with desperation. Chanyeol had never seen eyes so dark before, they were captivating. He didn’t know what it was about this shifter that drew him in. 

“Chanyeol let’s go.” Jongdae growled, pulling his brother along. 

The tallest slumped his shoulders, heart squeezing tightly as he was forced away from the mysterious shifter. He’d never felt such curiosity about someone before. He wanted to know anything and everything, wanted to know what his true smell was under all that grime and dirt, wanted to know his smile, his laugh and his background. 

“What were you thinking?” Baekhyun exploded once the five were back in the clearing, “Just walking off like that and so close to our borders too! What if ‘Soo hadn’t heard you?” 

Chanyeol just shrugged and turned away from his brother, “I can’t believe we left him there. He was scared and freezing… what if something happens to him?” 

Baekhyun sighed, “You don’t understand Chanyeol, he could be dangerous. We know nothing about him. We can’t just bring him into the heart of our territory. You’re too trusting. So we’re going to forget him and move on.” 

Chanyeol scoffed, “I don’t want to forget and move on. I want to help. If he needs help I want to do what I can.” 

“You can’t help. You’re an Omega like us!” Baekhyun shouted, “You’re meant to be at home, take care of things there. We aren’t supposed to go out and on those ‘grand adventures’ you always dreamed about. I thought you’d finally understand that Chanyeol. We’re not kids anymore. You’re not the supposed big bad Alpha that we all thought you’d be and I thought it finally got into your head where your place is.” 

Chanyeol reeled back from his brother feeling as though he’d been slapped across the face. The other three stayed silent, letting the oldest triplet take care of this. 

Kyungsoo felt bad for Chanyeol. He was the one who had always been close to him and often Chanyeol would come to him with his ideas and dreams of exploring other pack territories and meeting different people. Chanyeol had always dreamt of exploring and seeing the world, unlike most others of their pack. 

“I don’t want that though.” Chanyeol whispered. 

“You don’t always get what you want Chanyeol.” Baekhyun groaned, “So just be quiet and let’s go back before someone realizes we’ve been gone.” 

Chanyeol felt defeated. He didn’t know what his dreams had always been such a nuisance to his family. He always felt that one day he could escape the mold of the pack and just explore on his own. He knew it was dangerous, but he somehow always had this need, this urge to go out and see the world. As though there was something pulling him away from the pack. 

When he’d presented, those ideas of adventure and exploration crashed down before him. Having his heat and writhing in the hay bed was a sure sign that Chanyeol would forever be confined to the packlands. He’d never get to explore and see what the world around their small land was like. 

The tall Omega held back his tears, not wanting to show his brothers and their future mates how upset he really was. He didn’t want to cry and seem weak. He hated it. It just confirmed how much of an Omega bitch he was and that he just needed some Alpha to calm him down. 

His thoughts kept running in circles and Chanyeol hoped the shifter in the woods was okay. He wished he could have done more, could have brought him some food. He was sure he’d seen some edible mushrooms… there were probably small animals Chanyeol could have hunted for as well… He felt terrible for leaving the guy there to rot. 

Chanyeol loved his brothers. He loved his siblings, but walking back to camp he really didn’t want to be around them. The air was thick and heavy, Chanyeol sulking after the others lost in thought, keeping his heavy heart at bay. 

They made it back undetected and managed to slide into their huts quietly. 

“Don’t be sad ‘Yeollie…” Jongdae whispered, walking over to Chanyeol’s sleeping area. The middle triplet ran his fingers through Chanyeol’s hair but the taller swatted at his brothers’ hand, “Baekhyun is just trying to take care of all of us.” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, didn’t say a thing. He hoped his brother would understand and go away. He didn’t want to be around any of them. He just wanted to be left alone. 

“He should heed his own advice and stick to being an Omega bitch and not boss me around all the time then. Stay in his place.” Chanyeol growled, not even bothered if Baekhyun heard him or not. 

“Don’t say stuff like that.” Jongdae sighed, “I guess I’ll leave you to cool off.” 

Chanyeol only grunted. He didn’t want to be around his siblings or his family. He felt sick to his stomach, knowing that they left someone in the woods who might have needed help. 

Chanyeol moved his hands down to his hips, feeling the sensitive skin where the other had dug his claws in. He smoothed his thumb over the small wound and let out a silent hiss when he dug his thumb against the wound, pain throbbing through his midsection. 

Chanyeol couldn’t sleep the entire night. He kept tossing and turning imagining the worst case scenarios of what might happen to the man they’d abandoned in the woods. Chanyeol felt sick to his stomach imagining what he’d been running from, what had scared him so much to seek help so desperately. 

Morning came too soon and with it came responsibilities Chanyeol didn’t want to deal with. He didn’t want to go and make baskets for berry searching. He didn’t want to weave them together and smile and talk to the other Omega’s like it was some grand honor to do this. No, Chanyeol just wanted to go back out into the woods to try and find that poor soul he’d abandoned the night before. 

Of course Baekhyun and Jongdae knew this. They weren’t triplets for nothing and all day one of the two would sit next to Chanyeol or go with him wherever the youngest of the three would venture. 

The tall Omega wasn’t having it. He was annoyed, especially with Baekhyun who had spat some pretty harsh words at Chanyeol in the evening. He didn’t want to be close to Baekhyun who seemed completely unbothered by whatever had happened the night before, as though he  _ could _ just erase whatever he saw from his memory. 

“Leave me alone Baek.” Chanyeol groaned when he was walking to the large centered fireplace where the meat for the whole pack would usually be cooked. Chanyeol had a basket of freshly cut up slices of meat under one arm, trying to balance it with a mug of water in the other hand. 

“Who knows what reckless things you’ll get up to if I leave you alone.” Baekhyun whispered towards his brother, trailing next to him with his own basket, this one filled with various edible berries. 

“It’s none of your concern. Nothing I do is of your concern. Go and see Junmyeon, cuddle up to him and leave me alone.” Chanyeol exclaimed, reaching the fireplace and dropping the stuff he’d brought to the ground before stomping off angrily. 

Others from their pack had heard Chanyeol blow up in his brothers’ face, something that was almost never seen before. The triplets had always been close and barely ever argued. To see Chanyeol shout at his older brother was terrifying for most. 

Baekbeom, their oldest brother, saw the conflict and rushed towards Baekhyun who looked near tears. The Alpha went to see his brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him into his chest. Baekhyun was the smallest and most fragile looking from the triplets and often got special treatment from their Alpha siblings due to his looks. 

“You argued with Chanyeol?” Baekbeom asked softly, long fingers brushing some of the messy strands of hair away from Baekhyun. 

The small Omega nodded, “He’s mad at me… I don’t know how to make it better.” 

Jongdae was also walking over to the fireplace with some food he’d collected earlier in the day, seeing his siblings huddled together. The middle triplet sighed, knowing that something had gone wrong once again and he dearly hoped that Baekhyun hadn’t pissed off Chanyeol even more. Their youngest just needed some time to cool off and forget about the stranger in the forest. 

“What happened?” Baekbeom asked Baekhyun. 

Jongdae sat with his brothers and eyed Baekhyun who sniffled a little. Jongdae wanted to see what Baekhyun would tell and what parts of the whole story he would keep hidden. 

“We were arguing about something stupid yesterday and I told Chanyeol to forget about his ‘Alpha dreams’...” Baekhyun explained, “He’s always off in the clouds, expecting adventure and just… he should be helping out the pack and making sure that things run smoothly here like all of us do… it’s not fair that he get’s to slack off just because he thought he would be an Alpha.” Baekhyun explained. 

Baekbeom didn’t say anything, just cuddled his little brother closer, motioning for Jongdae to come closer as well, hugging the two tightly to his chest, “It isn’t fair of Chanyeol to leave you guys hanging… I’ll talk to him about it sometime okay?” 

From further away Chanyeol was brooding, watching his brothers little hugging session going on. He knew Baekhyun was telling Baekbeom something about how Chanyeol never listened to him. He always tattled on him, even when they’d been tiny pups. Whenever Baekhyun cried he’d run to Baekbeom and tell their eldest brother that Chanyeol had broken the rules. Always. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, completely fed up with the whole pack. He had to get out. He had to get some fresh air and just be by himself because he was feeling way too pressured. It was as though every second he spent amongst the huts and tents of the wolves living there he was getting worse and worse. Chanyeol had to escape, even if just for a bit. 

Before Chanyeol had presented as an Omega he’d often run about the woods and explored all the foliage. He knew the surrounding area better than most hunters. He knew where he could find hare’s and knew where the deer liked to graze. Chanyeol could tell all the different tree families apart and even knew which bushes were dangerous to his human skin. 

Yet ever since he’d presented, had gone through days of dreaded heat and slick, he’d not been allowed to freely explore his surroundings. His best friend had been taken away from him due to his brothers’ fear of having his mate stolen. He’d had his freedom snatched from him due to the fear of the pack losing a ‘precious Omega’. Chanyeol hated it. He hated pack politics. He just needed to escape. 

So, Chanyeol stood up and stomped off out of the area and into the thick bushes. He knew that anyone from their pack could follow his scent, so he made sure to find some berries which would mask his smell for a bit if he ate them. 

Chanyeol had spent years in his childhood looking at the different plants and figuring out what they did. He’d learnt that these special purple berries could mask scent for a while if eaten. He was one of the few who knew about them since they were quite rare in their forest, yet Chanyeol knew just where he had to go to find them. How many he had to eat to last him long enough to have some comfortable alone time before returning to the stifling pack life. 

Chanyeol found his way and began to walk around their forest. He didn’t have a direction he wanted to go in, just far away from the pack. He wanted nothing more than to escape reality. 

The Omega wandered for a good while, aimlessly walking through the forest, inspecting the tree’s and the foliage all around. He noticed some of the tree’s in one area looking thinner than the others and worried that there might be a disease spreading, but he didn’t have enough time to inspect them to find a cause for the weakened state of the plants. 

Leaning against one of them was the same weird shifter from the night before. He had his eyes closed, leaning against the trunk of a tree, breathing heavily, as though in pain. 

Chanyeol gasped and rushed over to him, “You’re still here?” Chanyeol asked, falling to his knees in front of the man. 

Dirt marred his face, Chanyeol couldn’t make out the colour of his skin. His hair was matted with mud and soil and he smelled even worse than he had a mere few hours before. He looked utterly ill. 

Chanyeol panicked and grabbed his bottle of water, moving it to the lips of the heavily breathing man. Still with his eyes closed, the other began to drink what little water Chanyeol had left. 

“Hungry…” The guy whispered. 

Chanyeol cursed and nodded to himself, “I can’t go hunt right now so I’ll find some vegetables you can eat. I’m sorry I didn’t bring anything.” Chanyeol left his water with the guy and rushed off to find some berries and fruit he knew the other could eat. 

He didn’t find much but brought back whatever he did find and fed it to the other. The guy was wearing the jacket Chanyeol had thrown to him the day before. Chanyeol could tell that the shoulder part of the wool coat was a tad too small, but other than that it seemed to fit. They were around the same height. 

“Eat these… they’ll help you get some strength back.” Chanyeol whispered, feeding a fruit to the man, then some berries. 

Chanyeol didn’t know how long he sat there, feeding the stranger, but the guy finally got some strength back and sat up a little, still leaning heavily against the tree. Dark eyes met Chanyeol’s and the Omega couldn’t help and gasp once more at the sight of completely black irises and how mesmerizing they were. 

“Thank you for helping…” The guy smiled softly, voice thin and weak. 

“Don’t thank me… I should have done so yesterday but I was shocked and scared and it was dark… I’m sorry.” 

The guy chuckled and let out a soft cough, “Don’t be sorry… I was scared and overreacted. I’m Jongin by the way.” He added on at the end. 

Chanyeol smiled, enjoying the way the name rolled off the other shifters mouth. Chanyeol could see himself saying it over and over again to get the same ring from it. 

“I’m Chanyeol… you met my brothers and their prospective mates yesterday. Sorry about them… they’re a bit much sometimes…” Chanyeol smiled softly. He looked up and realized the sun had moved quite a bit and that it was getting pretty late. Somebody must have noticed that he’d left, “I’m sorry but I need to go. I’ll try to come back soon. I’ll bring meat for you next time.” 

Jongin smiled and thanked Chanyeol, “You’ve done so much. More than anyone else.” 

The tall Omega couldn’t help but blush, hating himself for his reaction. He still didn’t know if the other was an Omega, Beta or Alpha, but Chanyeol was reacting like some love-struck child over a simple thank you from the guy. 

“Don’t worry I’ll come back. I just need to get away from my pack every once in awhile. I’ll bring you meat and some better clothes maybe. Yours are all dirty and ripped.” Chanyeol stood up, waved to the other. The lanky Omega shrugged his warm pelt off and handed it to Jongin, “For now keep my pelt. It’s warm and long it’ll let you sleep well overnight.” 

Jongin was about to protest, but Chanyeol already rushed off into the underbrush of the thick forest walking with such ease as though he knew every placement of every root in the area. 

Chanyeol made it back to their pack only to get caught by none other than Jongdeok and Baekbeom. The two oldest Alpha brothers had always been harshest towards Chanyeol from the triplets, disciplining him as though he would become a great Alpha like them, constantly on his case when he did something wrong in training. The two didn’t look happy when they saw Chanyeol strolling in from the West side of the woods. 

“Where have you been?” Baekbeom let his voice echo deeply. Chanyeol felt the need to submit and bare his neck to his brother, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to stare his brother dead in the eyes and tell him he was out enjoying the nice weather, but of course his Omega nature didn’t let him and Chanyeol forced himself onto his knees lifting his head to the side, bearing his neck to his oldest brother. 

“I’ve been out. Taking a stroll.” Chanyeol explained, sitting a bit more comfortably while his brothers were across from him, both with stern, unhappy faces. 

“You made your brother cry.” Baekbeom stated. 

“And he made me cry yesterday. Nobody asked to talk to him about that.” Chanyeol answered truthfully. 

He wished Yura was there. Yura was his favourite from his Alpha siblings. With Yura he could talk about plants, about the forest. He’d always hoped to become a competent Alpha doctor like her. Yet here he was, stuck with Jongdeok and Baekbeom staring him down and questioning why he would hurt his dear brothers feelings, when his were also trampled on. But no one asked about his feelings, because Chanyeol, according to everyone in his family, always had it the easiest. 

Chanyeol, the baby who was thought to be an Alpha was always treated with Alpha respect. He’d gotten to run around and play and be loud, while Jongdae and Baekhyun had to learn to sit still and perform stupid Omega rituals. Chanyeol was yelled at constantly for stepping out of line, because as an Alpha he had to set an example for his brothers, yet no one asked Chanyeol if he was okay after a whipping by his father, because as a future Alpha, Chanyeol had to endure such pain. Yes, Chanyeol always had it easier than his brothers. He was told he could dream and have aspirations, but when he’d said he wanted to look into medicine like Yura he was told that male Alpha’s didn’t do ‘healing’... 

So sure, Chanyeol was allowed some freedoms, but other things were also taken from him. Things that none of his brothers understood because his oldest brothers had become the perfect poster child for Alpha’s and his other brothers had actually become the sub-gender they were thought to be. 

“He told you to stop dreaming and start thinking about the pack. It’s a valuable lesson. It’s what Baekhyun and Jongdae had learnt from an early age on. You’re just getting the lesson a few years later than them so you shouldn’t be crying about it.” Jongdeok sighed. 

Chanyeol glared at his brother and huffed. He rolled his eyes, “I’m still the same as I was before. I’m not going to change just because my body decided that bearing pups one day is a good idea. I still want to explore. I still want to see the world.” Chanyeol told his brothers. 

This time it was Baekbeom who rolled his eyes, “You’re acting childish Chanyeol. You need to put the pack before yourself sometimes. You’ll have to find a mate and you will help care for this pack and it’s people.”

Chanyeol chuckled at the idea of finding a mate, “Brother… I’m never going to find a mate here.” 

“Then we’ll arrange it. Whatever it’ll take to strengthen bonds with other packs. We can’t send Baekhyun or Jongdae to other packs since they’ve found very fitting mates. Have you even tried to make yourself presentable to anyone here?” Baekbeom asked raising a brow. 

Chanyeol gasped and frowned, “You’ll just send me off? You’ll just marry me to the neighboring pack so I’ll shut up about doing my own thing? About having my own free will?” 

Jongdeok shook his head, “He didn’t mean it like that Chanyeol. We don’t want you alone. An arranged mating with a neighboring pack is a last resort.” 

Chanyeol scoffed, “I can’t believe this. You guys never asked for my opinion in anything. You only boss me around and treat me like dirt under your shoe. You’d never do anything like this, or talk to Baek and Dae like this. It’s not fair. I want to go to the hut. I want to be alone. I want to be away from you.” Chanyeol frowned keeping his tears at bay. He hated himself. 

There these two were scolding him for making poor innocent Baekhyun cry and yet making Chanyeol’s tears flow was completely acceptable? Rubbish. Everything was stupid and Chanyeol hated this pack and hated the people in it more with every passing moment. He’d always known he wanted to get out, but this was just all the more reason. 

“Fine. Go to sleep Chanyeol.” Baekbeom sighed looking defeated. 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, sniffling a little. It hurt. It hurt him so much to know that if it had been Jongdae or Baekhyun sniffling and holding back tears the two brothers would have jumped and hugged and cuddled them, but Chanyeol never had this luxury. He was raised as an Alpha and even though he was an Omega and was constantly reprimanded for not acting like one, his brothers still didn’t initiate contact with him like they did with his triplets. 

The lanky Omega walked back to the hut all single Omega’s shared and went straight to his bed. He didn’t bother saying anything to any of the others in the room and just laid down, turned his back to everyone and bit his lip to stop the annoying sobs from making themselves known. Screw his family. Chanyeol didn’t need them. It hurt him to think that, but none of his brothers seemed to even know what he was going through, what he was feeling. None of them tried to understand him. 

“Chanyeol?” Jongdae asked quietly, walking over to sit with his brother. 

Baekhyun was sitting on his bed next to the lanky Omega also looking over at his triplet brother. Chanyeol’s whole frame was shaking with silent sobs, arms wrapping around his thin waist, finger digging into the scratch from the night before where Jongin had penetrated his skin. 

“Leave me alone.” Chanyeol gasped, knowing that everyone noticed he was crying. He felt so ashamed. 

“What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked softly. 

Chanyeol didn’t answer. Chanyeol didn’t want to say anything. He just wanted to be left alone. His short time in the forest that day had been some of the most fun he’d had in a long time. He didn’t want to be in this hut, crying silently while his brothers tried to understand how he was feeling, because neither of them would ever understand. 

“Want to go to the clearing?” Baekhyun asked softly. 

Chanyeol shook his head. He didn’t want to go anywhere with his brothers at the moment. He didn’t want to just forgive Baekhyun for what he’d said like he usually did. There had been a time when Chanyeol understood that Baekhyun was suffering a lot from the harsh Omega training and he wouldn’t lash out and say anything to the other when he was being unreasonable, but now it was Chanyeol who was suffering and having problems with it all and Baekhyun didn’t seem to have the same feelings as Chanyeol had all that time ago. 

“I want to be left alone.” Chanyeol stated through clenched teeth, shaking off Jongdae who sent a hurt look to his tallest brother before walking over to his own bed. 

The next morning Chanyeol woke up earlier than most knowing he couldn’t disappear for as long again. His brothers all had their eyes out for him, even his oldest siblings, so he had to be careful when bringing food to Jongin. 

Chanyeol didn’t know what it was about the stranger that reeled him in. Maybe it was the fact that he was from a completely different pack. Chanyeol wished he could smell more over the scent of grime, but Jongin didn’t seem to have had time for cleanliness while searching for help. Chanyeol would have to ask him what he was running from. 

The Omega got up and snuck out of the Omega hut. He grabbed a few slices of meat off their reserve as well as a clean pair of pants and another sack filled with water for the other. The lanky Omega looked over his shoulder, seeing the sun glimpse out from behind some of the trees’ casting long shadows over their small valley. Everyone seemed to still be sleeping so Chanyeol could easily escape. 

He rushed off into the direction he remembered coming from the day before, hoping Jongin hadn't moved. He doubted it since the other was quite weak and barely had energy to sit up. 

Chanyeol swiftly made it to the area and found Jongin curled up under the pelt Chanyeol had left behind the day before. He looked thin and sick. Chanyeol wished he could do more, but for now his priority was to get Jongin his strength back. 

He felt bad, but shook the other awake. 

Dark eyes blearily blinked open, Jongin whining a little but complying anyways. He sat up and looked around, smiling softly when he noticed Chanyeol was crouching next to him. 

“I brought some meat. You’ll have to eat it in wolf form since it’s raw. I didn’t have time to cook it or anything.” Chanyeol whispered. 

He didn’t know why, but he was scared if he spoke any louder he would wake the quiet of the forest. He didn’t want to disturb any of the peaceful creatures in the area. 

Jongin smiled, “Thank you.” He took the slabs and put them down next to himself, eyes running over Chanyeol once again, looking over the lanky thin frame, the large curious eyes and rosy cheeks. He almost still looked like a pup with his innocent expression and trustful eyes. 

“I’ve got some pants for you as well since the cold season is coming soon. And here is some water you can drink.” Chanyeol added on, dropping everything else off too. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, Jongin just taking in all the charity from the other. Jongin knew that Chanyeol could be in big trouble for helping him. Judging by the way the other Alpha’s reacted the last time, it would be quite a disaster if anyone found out about Jongin still being in their pack lands. 

“Where are you from?” Chanyeol finally asked, sitting back on his butt, crossing his legs curiously. The tall boy leaned forward, hoping to finally find out some more information on the other. 

“My pack lives very far up north. I traveled through various borders to get here.” Jongin explained. 

Chanyeol hummed in understanding, “Why do you need help?” 

Jongin looked down, biting his lip, fists clenching in the ground. Chanyeol could see his knuckles turning white with the force. 

“My pack… we were ambushed. We’ve never been a particularly large pack. Not like yours where the borders span wide. But one day rogue Alpha’s came and attacked. They killed so many in a short amount of time. I need help to save the last of my family.” Jongin explained, “My cousin is the pack Alpha he is doing his best to appease the rogue Alpha’s who have now taken over our lands, but… we can’t get our freedom back alone. Everyone I’ve talked to doesn’t want to get involved they’re afraid that if something goes wrong those rogue’s will turn on them next… I understand their fear but… I just… I have to protect my family.” Jongin whispered. 

Chanyeol gasped, wishing he could curl around the other and protect him. The mere thought of having his pack annihilated was terrifying. 

“That’s… terrible. I wish I could help… I wish there was anything I could do… should I talk to my dad? He’s the head Alpha. I could make him understand.” Chanyeol asked desperately. 

Jongin chuckled and shook his head, “It’s fine Chanyeol. I don’t want you to be in trouble. I’ll move on and look for another pack who can help. I don’t want you to get hurt.” 

The Omega scoffed at the last statement, “Just because I’m an Omega doesn’t mean I can’t take a punishment or two.”  

Jongin smiled at the slightly taller, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen. You’ve shown more hospitality than mose. When I crossed the river a few nights ago I’d been chased by Alpha’s form your neighboring pack and I was afraid they’d get me and tear me to shreds.” Jongin stated, “I would hate for anything like that to happen to you.” 

“By the way… this is sort of off topic.” Chanyeol stated, “Do you want some soap to clean up? You smell of pungent dirt and sweat…” 

Jongin shook his head, “This way I mask my normal scent and I can go onto territories without immediately being detected. It’s what’s been keeping me safe from the more violent and unfriendly packs.” 

Chanyeol nodded in understanding. He really wanted to ask, wanted to know what sub-gender Jongin was, but he didn’t have the courage to ask. He didn’t want to offend the other. 

The Omega looked up and noticed how much higher the sun has gotten and he stood up, “I need to leave, but please eat some of the meat and get your health back. Please. You need to be strong to find a pack that will help you. I really don’t mind discussing it with my family. I can convince them.” 

Jongin smiled, row of teeth shining, taking Chanyeol’s breath away. Jongin was beautiful. Even under all that grime and dirt there was a strong beauty. His cut jaw, dark eyes, perfect row of teeth. The strong shoulders and thick thighs… Chanyeol was completely taken by the others’ physical appearance. 

“Don’t break your head over it.” Jongin stated, “I’d want to talk to them on my own and explain the situation. Maybe once I’m stronger I’ll try and talk to your pack.” 

Chanyeol grinned and nodded, “I’ll see if I can bring some more meat tomorrow. But now I really need to rush back before I get scolded again for ‘daydreaming’.” 

Chanyeol smiled and turned to rush off. 

Jongin wished that the other would show his wolf form. In his human skin the lanky Omega was beautiful beyond belief, but Jongin could only imagine how perfect he looked in his wolf skin. 

On his way back, Chanyeol made sure to grab some fruits along the way, making up an excuse about finding fresh fruits in the area and that was why he hadn’t been there in the morning. It was an acceptable excuse really. 

“Where have you been?” Sua, one of the older Omega’s in their pack asked Chanyeol when he finally came out of the forest, arms filled to the brim with fruits. 

“I couldn’t sleep so I went looking for some fruits for breakfast.” He explained. 

The lady rolled her eyes, mumbling something about spoilt children, then walked off. 

“You were looking for him right?” Baekhyun appeared out of nowhere making Chanyeol jump, almost dropping the fruits of his labour, but he managed to hold onto most of the edibles in his arms. 

“What are you talking about?” Chanyeol asked, playing dumb. He knew that Jongdae and Baekhyun were the two people he couldn’t lie to. They’d always known when one of them was lying through his teeth. 

“Don’t play dumb… I won’t say anything, just be careful. You don’t know him. You don’t even know if he is telling the truth.” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “I have things handled Baek. You never trust me. You’re turning into ‘Beom.” 

The shorter scoffed, “I’m not as grumpy as him.” 

Chanyeol smiled, “Soon you will be. Don’t worry so much. I’ve got things handled. Now help me with these fruit.” 

Chanyeol felt bad for having shut out his brother the whole day. It had never happened that the triplets had a fight longer than a few hours so being away and ignoring one another for a whole day was quite straining on all of them. 

“I’m sorry for having been so harsh to you the other night.” Baekhyun whispered, the two crouching down to put the fruits in the right place. 

“It’s okay… I know I’m not a good Omega… I probably won’t ever be… but I am trying here and sometimes it’s just hard… I’ve had dreams and ideas all my life and I don’t want my status as an Omega to affect those.” Chanyeol explained. 

Neither said anything for a while, Jongdae also coming over to sit with his brothers, all three working on preparing the breakfast for the pack. 

“So I heard you went and got fresh fruit this morning. What’s up with that?” Yura asked Chanyeol during breakfast. 

Their only sister sat with the triplets, biting into a fruit, juice running down the side of her mouth. 

“I couldn’t sleep and felt like getting some fresh air.” Chanyeol explained. 

The healer nodded and hummed a little, “You smell pretty bad though. Like dirt and sweat. You should probably go to the waterfall and wash yourself a bit.” 

Baekhyun and Jongdae stared at Chanyeol with wide eyes, not having noticed the slight undertone of dirt. It was the same smell from the stranger a few nights ago. Neither of the triplets thought that Chanyeol had found the other again and made contact. 

“I guess I’ll do that after breakfast. Wouldn’t want to smell bad when we see our father later tonight.” Chanyeol chuckled.

“You’re acting weird…” Yura looked at Chanyeol, eyes turning into curious slits and moving closer to the Omega, as though trying to read his mind. 

Chanyeol chuckled and pushed his sister off, “I’m always weird. That’s my thing.” 

The Alpha chuckled and backed off, “True… it’s our thing.” 

Yura had always been the calmest of the whole bunch. Whether it was because she was the only girl or because of her years learning about healing herbs, Chanyeol wasn’t sure. But whenever the pressure of becoming the ‘perfect Alpha’ was too much, he’d go to see Yura who understood him the best in those times. 

The day dragged on, Chanyeol going to the waterfall to clean himself, ignoring the questioning looks from his triplet brothers. He had to go and clean some pelts later on in the day, then had to help cook dinner. It was the usual in Omega Chanyeol’s life. 

A few days dragged on and Chanyeol was being kept quite busy by their head Omega, his mother, and the other older Omega’s. The tall boy barely had time to go see Jongin. He went there two more times to bring him fresh meat and water, but the stray shifter was also looking quite stronger and better. Chanyeol knew Jongin would move on. 

The Omega hadn’t expected the thought to hurt so much. He didn’t even realize how attached he’d gotten to the other. 

Jongin was smart and nice. He told Chanyeol about his twin brother Sehun who was still stuck in their packlands. It had been Sehun who convinced Jongin to leave and find help since he was the stronger of the two. Sehun sounded like an interesting guy, very headstrong and independent, something Chanyeol wished he could be as well. 

Jongin told Chanyeol about Luhan and Minseok, his cousin and his mate who were trying everything to keep the rest of their pack alive. There weren’t many left though. When Jongin had escaped from the clutches of the rogues there had only been seven of the original pack left. 

Chanyeol shed a few tears when Jongin told him of the destruction and it made the Omega want to help even more. He wished he could somehow convince his family to send some of their strongest fighters up north to help Jongin. Just to free his family. 

“Chanyeol… wake up!” Baekhyun hissed, shaking his brother awake.

Chanyeol groaned and turned around, looking at the shorter Omega who looked quite worried, almost in a panic. 

“Dad called a pack meeting. This can’t be good.” Jongdae whispered, standing by the oldest triplet. 

Chanyeol jumped out of bed, pulled on whatever warm pelt he could find and rushed out the door. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. He knew something was up and he was scared that whatever it was it could mean they’d found Jongin. 

Their entire pack met up in the middle of their clearing. This was where they usually ate together as a pack family, but this time there was no fire lit, just the early morning sun peeking out from behind the tips of the forest. Dramatic shadows falling over the head Alpha and his successor. 

Chanyeol gasped when he saw Jongin kneeling on the ground in front of his father. He could see bruises, could see blood. Chanyeol wanted to rush over, felt this need to see if he was okay. He’d grown close to Jongin in the few visits. The stranger was one of the few people who really  _ listened _ when Chanyeol talked. 

“We found this rogue walking in our territory early this morning. Jongdeok found him sleeping in the western part of the forest.” The head Alpha spoke loudly, eyes running over everyone in their midst, “What was interesting was the clothes and the pelt we found him in.” 

Chanyeol gulped. He took a step back, but Baekhyun grabbed his hand, anchoring the Omega in place. 

Jongdeok stepped forward from behind Baekbeom and their father. He threw the pelt that had once belonged to Chanyeol onto the ground. He looked over to his youngest brother eyebrow raised in question. 

“What do you have to say about this Chanyeol?” Their father asked. 

Chanyeol gulped and squeezed his brothers’ hand tightly. He knew he would get in trouble, knew that it probably meant a whipping or something similar, but he was still scared. 

Chanyeol looked over to Jongin, seeing the shifter curled up, dark eyes staring right back to the lanky Omega. It hurt him to see Jongin like this, he wanted to hold him and make him feel better. 

“I…” Chanyeol sighed, “I helped him… he was sick and cold and… and… starving…” Chanyeol explained desperately, hoping someone would understand him. 

Jongdae grabbed his other hand, some form of comfort. 

Chanyeol looked around the pack, saw how conflicted Kyungsoo and Junmyeon were. The two young Alpha’s looked like they wanted to help Chanyeol, wanted to speak up, but were afraid of the head Alpha and his rage. 

“You helped a stranger… you let a strange  _ Alpha _ onto our lands and you never told anyone about this?” Baekbeom asked stepping closer to his brother. 

Chanyeol gulped and shook his head, “I… I didn’t want him hurt more. I was helping him heal so he could move on… He needed help!” Chanyeol barked out the last sentence in desperation, hoping someone in his pack would listen, “He’s from the north. His pack was killed and a few are still being held captive. He needs someone to help him free them from a rogue pack.” 

“Chanyeol… that’s all very noble of you, but what makes you think we can help someone like him? How can we trust him?” Jongdeok asked softly. 

The whole pack was silent, listening to the conversation taking place. It was almost unheard of for an Omega to speak with such little respect to their elder Alpha’s. Even amongst blood family. 

“I trust him… I believe him.” Chanyeol explained, “He wouldn’t lie about that. Who would be so cruel to lie about family?” The Omega was near tears, desperately hoping someone would listen to him. That someone could understand where he was coming from. He just wanted to help Jongin, at least make it out of their pack territories. 

“If he is telling the truth then it is still not our place to intervene in other pack wars. We have nothing to do with the North. Why would we start a potential unnecessary war?” Baekbeom asked his brother curiously. 

The head Alpha stayed quiet, watching as his sons discussed the matter. Over the last few years he’d slowly eased the reigns over to Baekbeom, the oldest, to take over the pack one day and this discussion seemed to be one of the tests for the head Alpha to see if his son was really cut out to be in charge. Would he choose the wants of his youngest sibling over the need of his whole pack? 

“Why can’t we help?” Chanyeol asked, a bite to his question like never before. 

“We have no ties to the north. None at all. No blood relations. I can’t believe him and I won’t.” Baekbeom explained, “You shouldn’t be so trusting of others Chanyeol. You need to learn your place.” 

Chanyeol couldn’t hold the tears back. He whimpered and turned to their head Alpha who was watching the whole thing play out with a cold and calculated expression, “Father… please… I… I want to help him.” 

“Don’t go to father. I am making this decision.” Baekbeom exclaimed. 

Chanyeol frowned and looked through teary eyes, “He needs help. His whole family has been killed. Imagine if those rogues finish their job and then come here! What if they come here and we’re next? You would try and find help wherever possible!” Chanyeol exclaimed, anger now taking over, desperately trying to get someone to listen to him. 

“Chanyeol you’re being hysterical.” Jongdeok sighed, patting his brother on the shoulder. 

Chanyeol wanted to retaliate, to shove his brothers away, because what they were doing was cruel and terrible. Did no one have a heart? 

Chanyeol looked to his triplet brothers, both looking at their feet. Chanyeol wished they would speak up. They’d always been there for one another and he just wanted them to be there for him right now and back him up. He wanted them to defend Jongin and help Chanyeol with his case. 

Baekbeom turned away from Chanyeol and walked over to Jongin who was still curled up looking quite weak and bloody. 

“Be glad my little brother seems to care so much for you. Normally trespassers get killed.” Baekbeom stated loudly for everyone to hear, “But I’ll be merciful. Leave our lands and find help elsewhere. We will not aid you. Leave, don’t come back and hopefully some pack will help you to save your family.” 

Chanyeol gasped, his knees going weak, sinking to the floor as Jongin was pulled up, the dirty Alpha swaying a little from the previous blows. Chanyeol wanted to rush over, to help him stand, but knew he couldn't do that. It would only make things worse for Jongin. 

“ _ Go _ !” Baekbeom barked and in the flash of a second Jongin turned into the most beautiful wolf Chanyeol had ever seen, completely black, just like his eyes, fur thick and shiny, though caked with mud. Jongin let out a soft whine, looked over to Chanyeol who couldn’t help but stare open mouthed at the wonderful creature before him, and then Jongin ran off. 

Once Jongin left Chanyeol felt hollow. He felt the tears running down his cheeks like a opened dam. He knew he was being dramatic, but he couldn’t help it. Jongin was one of the first people Chanyeol met who made him feel happy about being an Omega. He didn’t know what it was, but he was so attracted to Jongin, not just his looks, but also his laid back and friendly personality. Chanyeol couldn’t believe he’d been kicked out. 

“I hate you…” Chanyeol whispered, “I hate all of you. There was someone who was asking for  _ help _ and you just deny him because what? We have no blood ties to him? You’re terrible and pathetic. I hate every single one of you. I’m ashamed to be of this pack. I’m ashamed of everyone here.” He shouted, getting up, legs feeling like jelly. 

“Chanyeol…” Yura whispered from somewhere to his side, the healer having stepped closer to her brother. 

“No. I’m not calming down. I’m not lowering my voice, just because I’m not an Alpha doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings and ideas.” Chanyeol shouted, glaring daggers at his older brothers, “I can’t believe you guys. I can’t believe what you guys just did. I’m disgusted.” With those parting words Chanyeol turned around and ran from the pack gathering. 

He heard footsteps follow him, pushing the Omega to run faster. 

“Chanyeol…” It was Yura. 

The Omega was on the edge of the forest, Yura, Baekhyun and Jongdae with their prospective mates close by all surrounding the panicking Omega. 

“I know a way they can help your… your… friend.” Yura whispered quickly, “Take these herbs and follow that strange wolf. When you’re together you should eat them.” She pulled out some green leaves Chanyeol hadn’t seen before, “This will start your heat. He’ll mate you and we’ll be obliged to help.” Yura explained. 

Baekhyun smiled, “I’m sorry we should have done something…” Junmyeon wrapped an arm around the small Omega. 

Chanyeol sighed and looked at the herbs, “It’ll work?” 

Yura nodded, “Yes but run quickly before Baekbeom realizes you’re up to no good again. Be careful…” 

“We’ll keep it a secret for as long as we can that you are just crying in the Omega hut.” Jongdae told Chanyeol, “We will try and give you a good head start.” 

Chanyeol smiled to his siblings and their future mates, thanking them before rushing off into the woods. 

He didn’t know where Jongin would have gone. He just had to find him. Chanyeol believed that if he let go of all thought and let instinct guide him he could quickly meet with the northern wolf and put the plan into action. Sure, Jongin might not want to mate Chanyeol, but this was the best, and probably the only way, that the pack would help out. 

One thing their pack prided itself on was family. Sure, it didn’t always seem like it, but family was one of the most important aspects of their life. They took care of one another and made sure their family worked well, so if someone from their family mated with another pack, they were immediately obliged to work together with said pack. Hence why it was rare for them to mate outside of pack. They didn’t want the added responsibility of taking care of a weaker pack. 

Chanyeol wasn’t sure how long he was running, but soon found Jongin, completely naked and in his human form, panting, leaning over a small creek and drinking from it. His skin was bruised from the hits, small cuts bleeding, his scent all over the place. 

Chanyeol let out a soft whine, making Jongin flinch and turn around, staring at the tall Omega who was still clutching onto the herbs his sister had forced into his hands. 

“I know a way…” Chanyeol whispered, “I know a way to save your pack.” 

Jongin raised a brow, “I think I’ve done enough damage here Chanyeol. I can find a pack to help and it’s not here. I have to leave before they kill me.” 

Chanyeol shook his head, “No listen to me. I know a way we can help.” Chanyeol paused and waved the leaves at Jongin, “I’ll eat these and go into heat again. Yura said it’ll work quickly. You’re only only Alpha around right now…” Chanyeol trailed off, “I know you might want to find your own mate, someone better than me, but this way… this way you can save your brother and cousin. You can save what’s left of your pack because if we’re bonded my pack is  _ obliged _ to help you because we’ll also be family.” 

Jongin looked like he bit into a sour lemon, his face squeezed tightly together, trying to digest the plan Chanyeol had just revealed. 

“You don’t know what you’re saying.” 

Chanyeol huffed, “No one else will help you. You’ll be searching forever. I know this area, I’ve heard stories about the other packs and they’re all as bad as the next. This is the only way.” 

Jongin sighed, “I don’t want to take your future away from you.” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “I’m a perfectly healthy Omega giving myself to you. Just shut up and live with it. It’ll suck for both of us but we’ll make it work. Think of your pack. Think of your family and we can make it through this whole mess.” Without another word Chanyeol began chewing on the leaves, almost gagging at the bitter taste but swallowing nonetheless. 

He ate the whole thing and waited. He didn’t know how long it would take btu Yura had said it would be quick if he ate it all. It was a high dosage she’d given him. She wasn’t sure how long the heat would last though due to the high dosage. 

“You’re crazy…” Jongin whispered staring wide eyed at the Omega. 

“That’s why I wasn’t a very desired Omega around here. They prefer docile, tiny creatures like Baekhyun.” Chanyeol explained. 

Jongin chuckled, “Baekhyun seemed anything but docile when I first met him.” 

“That’s because you saw the real Baekhyun. Not the facade he likes to put on in front of the pack. He’s actually a really bossy asshole most of the time. But I prefer him like that. Jongdae is the same. He likes to make fun of everyone with me, but once he is around the Alpha’s he gets all compliant and sweet. It’s kind of gross really. Especially when he’s with Kyungsoo and just makes cow eyes at him all the time.” 

“I’ve never asked his Chanyeol but how old are you?” Jongin asked. 

“I am going to be seventeen soon.” 

“I just turned sixteen.” Jongin stated, “My brother had his first heat at the same time as I had my first rut and the rogues must have smelled him or something because they attacked right after his heat finished. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if they’d shown up just a day earlier when he’d still been in heat.” 

“That’s really scary… my first heat was… I was so afraid. I didn’t know what my body was doing and where all this heat was coming from… It must have been terrible for your brother right after to go through such a traumatic incident…” Chanyeol frowned. 

He felt odd, sitting and talking by this creek. He was getting warmer and warmer, head dizzying. It was happening again. He remembered these feelings, the way he didn’t seem to be able to focus on anything around him, just the woozy feeling in his head. 

Jongin sniffed the air and gasped, noticing as well. 

It didn’t take long for the feeling to completely overwhelm Chanyeol. Within minutes he was on his back, shirt ripped off and writhing on the ground, hoping the cool, uneven floor would help relieve some tension. 

In the meantime Jongin was still a few steps off, trying to contain himself. He knew that Chanyeol had offered himself to the Alpha, but he didn’t want to make this unpleasant for him. He didn’t want to force anything onto Chanyeol. 

The Omega was older, but somehow Jongin felt like he was the one who had to take care of the Omega, as though he was years above the Omega. It was a sick thought and Jongin hated himself for it. 

He couldn’t hold back and within moments he leapt forward crashing his lips onto Chanyeol, hands gripping onto the boys hips grinding down on him. They moved together, kissing and scratching at one another. 

Chanyeol just wanted to feel some relief. He had been anticipating the heat, but it still shocked him how needy he was. He felt completely and utterly lost without the Alpha on top of him. He wanted Jongin to take him, to make him feel good and relieved. 

Clothes were removed the two rutting against one another. Chanyeol felt the self-lubricant flowing from his hole, begging to be filled. He constantly let out little whines, hoping the sound would please the Alpha and would make him fill Chanyeol up.

More kissing, more rutting and soon Jongin got the clue and pushed in one finger, moving the digit around, in and out roughly, making the Omega under him whine and thrust his hips down with full force, wanting and needing more. A second finger wasn’t enough either so Jongin soon added a third, moving all three around, opening them up and closing them, in and out of the hungry hole. 

Chanyeol had no words. He barely knew what was going on. He was in complete bliss. He just wished Jongin would move a little quicker. He wanted his knot, wanted to be bonded and mated and needed. Jongin was amazing. 

Chanyeol didn’t know where these thoughts were coming from. He knew he’d been attracted to the other, but he had never felt such a need to be claimed. He had been drawn to Jongin, had always followed his instincts, and now he was so overwhelmed with the other. 

Thankfully Jongin didn’t keep him waiting too long and soon inserted himself, thrusting up into Chanyeol roughly. He kept on nipping and kissing at Chanyeol’s neck, the Omega scratching at the Alpha’s back wildly, whining and moaning as Jongin satisfied his heat with rough, forceful thrusts. 

A few more and Chanyeol couldn’t hold back. He arched into Jongin, his seed dirtying the two as he let out a high pitched whine. The sound and action brought Jongin over the edge as well, leaning down to bite at Chanyeol’s neck as he popped his knot and massaged it into the tight hole of the Omega, knotting himself into the older. 

Chanyeol let his eyes roll back at the feeling of pleasure, twitching in the arms of his Alpha as another orgasm rolled through him, whimpering in pain and pleasure while Jongin continued to rock into the Omega. 

They stayed silently bound together, Chanyeol running his hands over the Alpha’s back while Jongin kissed the mark he’d left on the Omega softly, licking over it, hoping to heal it quickly. 

Chanyeol felt weird like this. He knew that he was bonded to Jongin now, forever, but it didn’t change much. He’d always thought once bonded there would be this big reveal of how he could read his partner's mind or something like that, but none of that happened. He just felt less hot, slightly sticky and maybe a bit less tired. 

“I feel slightly let down…” Chanyeol whispered, “I always thought I could like... read your mind or something now.” 

Jongin chuckled, leaning down a little more to sniff at the other, “Sorry.” 

Both stayed tied together until Jongin’s knot finally went down. They shuffled over to the creek drinking some water before Chanyeol’s second rush of heat would hit. Neither knew how long they would have to endure his heat since it wasn’t a natural one but an induced one. 

“You’re okay?” Jongin finally asked the Omega next to him. 

Chanyeol was laying on his side, letting Jongin run his long fingers over his naked form, humming in appreciation of the touch. Chanyeol felt needy. He didn’t know if it was because of the mating or because of the heat, but he didn’t want Jongin to leave and stop touching him. 

“I’m pretty sure my pack is going to smell my heat soon. They’ll come looking and it won’t be pretty. They won’t kill you, you’re my mate now, but be prepared for some more bruises probably.” Chanyeol warned, opening one eye to look at Jongin who paled. 

“Your borthers are scary…” Jongin stated. 

“My dad is even more scary.” Chanyeol chuckled snuggling closer to Jongin. 

Neither said anything for a while, just relishing the silence around the area. Of course it didn’t last too long because Chanyeol’s heat came back with a vengeance and it seemed to be getting worse with this wave than the first. Chanyeol was more needy, whining more and begging Jongin for release within moments of the wave hitting him. 

The two didn’t know how long they were together or how many times they knotted, but it must have been a good couple of hours before somebody found them. That somebody just had to be Baekbeom. 

“Chanyeol!” he shouted, seeing the younger completely blissed out under Jongin, holding onto his Alpha for dear life, kissing at his neck, arching into his touch, ignoring his brother completely for the cooling feeling of the Alpha before him. 

There was nothing the future head Alpha could do. Chanyeol was completely gone in heat. 

Back at the pack home, Jongdae and Baekhyun had also gone into heat. What no one but Yura knew was that Baekhyun and Jongdae had also eaten the herbs to make it seem like an early natural heat. The triplets, having presented around the same time, would all have their heats at the same time as well, hence why the two older triplets also had to take the herbs. 

Once Chanyeol and Jongin were lucid enough, they noticed the foreign Alpha standing a few feet away, eyes turned into angry slits as he looked over towards the mated pair, eyes zeroing in on the red, raw mark on Chanyeol’s neck. 

“What did you do to my brother?” Baekbeom hissed, “You…?” 

Chanyeol whined and curled closer to Jongin, not even embarrassed about his nude state. 

“Chanyeol! God damnit… We need to bring you guys back to our huts. It isn’t safe here. Anyone could smell his heat. Wildlings could smell and cross the borders... “ The Alpha sighed sounding annoyed. He grabbed his warm pelt and threw it over to the mated pair, “Put it on Chanyeol. We need to get back before you go back into a frenzy.” 

Jongin gulped, head still up in the clouds, but slightly more aware than his mate was. The Alpha shuddered at the thought of ‘mate’... He didn’t regret the decision to do this, but it was daunting to think that once everything settled he’d have to take care of someone and be there for them for the rest of their lives. 

Baekbeom hissed angrily, rolling his eyes at the pair. Jongin helped Chanyeol off the ground, the lanky Omega curling into Jongin’s side, barely able to stand. He kept whining and mewling, rubbing himself as close as possible to the younger Alpha. 

“Why did you have to run off?” Baekbeom groaned, leading the way forward, “You’ve always been nothing but trouble Chanyeol.” 

The Omega didn’t hear a thing his brother was saying, just continued to rub himself against Jongin while trying to focus on his feet, telling them to walk in a straight line. 

The walk back was long and tortuous. Chanyeol was close to another wave of heat and continued to rub himself against Jongin, a sight Baekbeom never wanted to see. He tried to avoid it, but the noises his youngest brother was making were almost impossible to miss. 

“You’ll go to one of the heat huts. Junmyeon and Baekhyun are in one and Kyungsoo is taking care of Jongdae in another.” Baekbeom explained once they got back to the village. He stopped to glare at Jongin, “I guess you’re family now… don’t overstep your boundary and don’t harm a single hair on my brothers head. I have no qualms about hurting you.” 

Jongin gulped and nodded nervously, “I’ll take care of him… I’m sorry… I was leaving when I… when I… smelled it and just… I couldn’t leave without knowing where the wonderful scent came from and it was Chanyeol and just… I’m sorry I’ve got no control.” The lie fell off his lips easily, knowing he had to make it seem like the heat came naturally. 

Baekbeom rolled his eyes once more, huffing and stalking off, leaving the freshly mated pair in front of a door to a small room. 

Three days. It took three days for Chanyeol’s heat to die down. Jongdae and Baekhyun finished theirs around the same time. Yura had made sure to give all three a similar dosage to really make it seem like the heat wasn’t induced. 

Chanyeol felt tired after three days of heated sex and minimal lucidity. He could barely remember what he’d said to Jongin during their love making sessions. He felt like burying himself under mountains of pelts, but knew he couldn’t just sit around. They’d wasted a lot of time by fornicating like this and he knew Jongin had to get back to his pack to help them. 

Chanyeol sat up, making sure a coat was around his thin frame, large eyes wide and staring at Jongin who was pulling a shirt over his bruised torso. The Omega frowned at the sight of his mates skin hiding, but knew he couldn’t stay in bed. 

“I need to talk to your brother… about what happened… do you think you can stay here?” Jongin asked, turning around once he was dressed. 

Chanyeol felt his heart slam against his ribs, red blush moving down his neck to his chest, the tips of his ears also changing colour. He felt his breath stutter and swore his heart also stopped beating for a second, because the Alpha before him was beautiful, with such dark eyes and perfect jaw… Chanyeol picked well… 

“I’ll probably go see Baek and Dae… I need to thank them.” Chanyeol stated, “What do you have to talk to Baekbeom about?” The Omega tilted his head to the side curiously. 

“How we will proceed. I need to go back to my pack. I might be bonded to yours now, but I still have my whole family waiting for me.” Jongin explained, “I need to speak with the head Alpha and future head Alpha about the arrangements.” 

Chanyeol nodded, “Okay... “ He felt a tugging a his chest as Jongin took a few steps towards the door, “Come back soon okay?” Chanyeol whispered. 

“I don’t think I can stay away too long.” Jongin countered smiling sadly at the still naked Omega sitting in the bed. 

Once he left, Chanyeol curled up in bed once more before rolling out to change and find his brothers. He had to thank them and discuss what might happen. He should also thank Yura, but she might be off finding some new herbs for healing, or maybe discussing Chanyeol’s future alongside the other Alpha’s of their family. 

Once dressed, Chanyeol also walked out, his muscles sore, back aching and stomach screaming for food. He looked around and saw Jongdae also exiting his own hut. His brother looked tired, hair a total mess and hickey’s lining his neck. There was also a huge red bite mark, clearly visible to the world. 

Chanyeol smirked at the sight, making a mental note to fist-bump Kyungsoo later. The small Alpha sure had done a good job at ruining Jongdae during his heat. 

“Dae!” Chanyeol shouted, rushing forward and hugging the shorter Omega, cuddling him to his chest, “I’m so sorry I’ve been so moody! Thank you for helping! I love you!” Chanyeol screeched happily. His brother laughed and hugged him back just as tightly, the two swaying from side to side happily. 

“Will you guys shut up? I was trying to sleep.” Baekhyun thrust the door to his heat-hut open glaring at the pair of hugging Omega’s. 

Chanyeol let go of Chen, holding his hand and dragging him along to Baekhyun, only to envelop his oldest triplet into a warm hug as well, “Thank you so much. I’m sorry the way I’ve been acting.” Chanyeol stated. 

All three Omega’s made themselves comfortable in the hut. Junmyeon and Kyungsoo had also gone to discuss plans with Jongin. There were many things happening at once. All three brothers were now mated and had new families to start. The most complicated being Chanyeol. 

“You owe us… big time.” Jongdae sighed, smiling at Chanyeol, “I was hoping to get a few more cheap necklaces and shoes and stuff out of this whole Omega thing before bonding and mating with Kyungsoo.” 

Chanyeol blushed and looked down, “I don’t even know… why I was so drawn to Jongin…” 

“Love at first sight?” Baekhyun asked, shrugging and popping some fruit into his mouth. 

Junmyeon had made sure to leave some food behind for his mate before leaving, the three Omega’s sharing the large basket of fruits and cooked slices of meat amongst one another. 

“You did seem like you were in love with him. Fawning over his injuries, sneaking off to give him food. So romantic Chanyeol. Who knew you were a secret romantic.” Jongdae chuckled. 

The youngest blushed and swatted at his brothers, “I don’t even know… but now I’ll probably go up north with him. I’ll help him get his brother and cousin to safety.” 

“You think Baekbeom will let you go up north?” Jongdae asked curiously. 

Chanyeol shrugged, “I mean… my mate is from there. I should go with him no? I don’t even know if I could stand being away from him for a long time right now.” Chanyeol sighed, “I already feel anxious and it’s just been a half hour or so.” 

Baekhyun nodded, “Yeah… I feel like that too. I hope Junmyeon is done soon. I want to cuddle.” 

“I can cuddle you.” Chanyeol exclaimed.

The other rolled his eyes, “It’s not the same. You’re all bones it’s hard and uncomfortable to cuddle you.” 

“Rude.” Chanyeol murmured under his breath taking a bite out of an apple. 

The brothers continued to sit and wait in Baekhyun’s hut until finally all three mates came back at the same time. Baekhyun shot off his bed and rushed forward almost plowing Junmyeon over in his haste to hug the older Alpha. 

Jongdae and Chanyeol also rushed forward though with less power, curling close to their mates the six sitting down together, basking in one anothers scent and comfort. 

Chanyeol couldn’t help and lie down, his head in his mate’s lap as Jongin carded his fingers through the Omega’s hair, scratching at his scalp. 

“So all the Alpha’s talked…” Jongin stated, “A few will come with us to get my family. We will settle here with your pack since our lands are probably impossible to win back. If all seven are still alive we still won’t be able to have enough manpower to win over the rogue pack.” Jongin explained. 

Chanyeol smiled and nodded, “We’ll save them. I have a good feeling.” 

Kyungsoo snorted, “You’re feelings are terrible. Because of your gut you’re now mated.” 

Chanyeol stretched his long leg out and kicked at the small Alpha, “Shut up Kyungsoo.” 

“Who is going?” Jongdae asked. 

“Me… obviously, Jongdeok and Yura wanted to come along. Baekbeom has to stay behind. As future pack leader he couldn’t leave. A few others I never met before as well.” Jongin explained, “I don’t think Chanyeol should come along though since it’ll be very dangerous…” The Alpha trailed off when his mate sat up, eyes wide and betrayed. 

“I’m going too. I don’t care if Baekbeom or anyone say anything…” 

“It was me who thought it would be better.” Jongin explained, “Chanyeol you’ve done so much and if you get hurt because of me… I can’t let that happen.” 

The tallest rolled his eyes, “I don’t care about that. I’m going. You’re my mate. I could barely stand to be away from you right now and it was only a few hours. Imagine days… maybe weeks!” 

“Chanyeol is right…” Baekhyun stated, “He went through all this trouble for you, the least you can do is let him come along. Chanyeol is pretty strong and he knows a lot about plants and healing and stuff.” 

Jongin bit his lips, “If you get hurt though…” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “So I get hurt. It happens. I trip and fall all the time. I get hurt all the time. You don’t have to worry. I know how to defend myself. I know how a spear works. I’ve got it all under control.” 

And with that in mind Chanyeol was amongst the small group of Alpha’s leaving their pack grounds to help their future family. 

In a way the Omega was excited. This was an adventure, something he’d always dreamed of. He knew it was dangerous, knew he might not even make it out alive in the end, but the feeling of freedom overpowered the fright bubbling in his chest. 

He’d packed the berries which hid his scent and even told Yura about them. She had never seen them before and was amazed how well they worked. Jongin also appreciated the berries knowing he didn’t have to be caked in mud and dirt again on his journey back to the north. 

“You’re going to stay by my side for the entire trip okay?” Jongdeok whispered to Chanyeol as they were getting ready to leave, “Baekbeom specifically told me not to let a single hair on your head get hurt.” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, “shouldn’t it be my Alpha who takes care of me?”

Jongdeok sighed and looked to the Alpha who was standing off saying goodbye to Kyungsoo and Junmyeon who were staying back with their mates, “I don’t trust him yet… I know you’re mated and you have this belief in the guy but I need to observe him before I let him off the hook for doing this to you and our pack.” 

Chanyeol couldn’t help the huff that slipped from his lips. His brothers had never acted like this before. They hadn’t been suspicious of people Chanyeol hung out with and now because he was an Omega and ‘weaker’ they had to approve of anyone and everyone close to him? What a joke. 

Baekbeom also walked over giving Jongdeok a quick hug, nothing too close and then turned to Chanyeol. The two were almost the same height, Baekbeom just an inch or so taller, staring into one anothers’ eyes before Baekbeom reached out his arms and curled them around the younger Omega, pulling him in tight. 

“Be careful okay? I know you’re smart and you’ve trained to be an Alpha, but there are things outside of our lands which you’ve never seen before. So stay close to your brother and sister, trust in them. I want you back here as soon as possible.” The eldest stated, giving his brother one last tight hug and then letting go. 

Chanyeol didn’t know what to do. He smiled and nodded, then rushed over to say a tear-filled goodbye to his triplets. 

“This is the first time we will be apart.” Jongdae whimpered holding back tears, “Please be careful. Please…” He added on, curling against Chanyeol. 

On the tall Omega’s other side Baekhyun was sobbing, trying to say something as well about their youngest being careful, but unable to his tears. 

Chanyeol chuckled and hugged them tightly, “Just watch me come back super soon with some new pack mates.” He smiled and held back his own tears. 

Sure, an adventure was always something he wanted, but now realising he would leave his siblings behind. They had their differences and bickered but they were still the people closest to Chanyeol and leaving them behind hurt. 

“We’ll all be fine. Don’t worry.” Chanyeol smiled, “All of us will come back. Just stay here, be safe with your mates and I’ll be back soon.” 

The triplets let go of one another, Jongin coming over. He smiled sadly and took Chanyeol’s hand, leading him off to the small group that would travel north, “We have to go now.” 

Chanyeol nodded, “Okay.” 

Once everyone was ready the group shifted into their Wolf forms. Jongin a large, black looming Wolf that Chanyeol couldn’t help but admire for a moment before shifting himself. 

Chanyeol was lanky in this form as well, but thinner than the Alpha’s he was travelling with. His coat wasn’t as thick and his bones as sturdy, but he was agile and quick, able to move around objects quickly. 

Chanyeol hurried forward to stand next to Jongin. The all black wolf sniffed his mate and nipped at his ear making Chanyeol whine and push his snout against the younger wolves neck in annoyance. 

Once everyone was ready they were off. 

Chanyeol was running alongside Jongin, the two leading the small group sine Jongin knew where to go and where his home pack was. Chanyeol felt the wind rushing through his fur and rocks under his paws. Even though he knew it was dangerous, knew he could be hurt, there was a sense of freedom bubbling in his chest. 

He glanced over to his mate, Jongin looking serious and composed in his wolf form as he tried to lead the small group forward as best as possible. He had used up a lot of time and he didn’t know if he was already too late. 

Jongin could sense his brother, knew he was still holding on, but the further he got away from the North the less he felt a connection. Jongin didn’t know if it was because of the distance or because his brother was slowly dying. He hoped it was the first option because if he found his brother dead he didn’t know what he’d do. No one would be safe from Jongin. 

The small group ran all day and almost through the night, only resting small amounts to get out of enemy territory as quick as possible. Chanyeol’s pack never had a good relationship with the pack to the North-West and having to cross through a large part of their territory wasn’t a desirable option, but it was the quickest way. 

“Chanyeol… take a rest.” Jongin whispered when they finally stopped, settling down in a small clearing.

The Omega was drained. His skin shone with sweat, clothes clinging to his thin, lanky frame. His hair was matted and greasy. The Omega didn’t feel too great either, probably from exhausting himself. He’d never run so much in one shot before. His legs were aching, his arms hurt and his back was cracking with every movement. 

“You sure?” Chanyeol asked, already lying down, head pillowed in Jongin’s lap. 

The Alpha smiled when he looked down to see the Omega yawn and shiver, clearly exhausted. 

“Yes…” Jongin whispered, pulling a pelt over Chanyeol to try and keep him warm. The North was cold and even though they hadn’t moved too far north yet, the nights were already more chilly than what Chanyeol was used to. 

Jongin looked up and noticed that strs shone brightly onto their small clearing. It was pretty but it meant that it would still cool off significantly. Clouds kept some of the warmth in while an open starry sky would let every ounce of heat escape and suck what little warmth the ground had right out of it. 

Chanyeol closed his eyes and fell asleep within seconds, cuddling into the pelt Jongin had given  him. Like this, with moonlight shining on his face, Jongin could clearly see the Omega features Chanyeol possessed. His skin was milky white without a single blemish. His lips red and plump. His lashes were longer and thicker than any Alpha. He looked… innocent… 

During the day it was mostly concealed behind bright smiles, loud laughter and constant movement. Chanyeol wasn’t one to sit still too much. But like this, he looked like a real Omega. 

“He’s something isn’t he?” Jongdeok sat down next to Jongin who continued to look at his mate and marvel at all the new things he seemed to find out about him. 

“He is…” Jongin trailed off, his fingers brushing through Chanyeol’s sweaty hair. 

“He’s loud and obnoxious most of the time… his personality has always been somewhat loud. We all treated him wrong growing up. We thought for sure he’d be an Alpha. He was tall, loud and before he even understood anything about aspects and that he’d stand up for what he believed in. We were all sure he’d be the most annoying, in-your-face Alpha to ever live in our pack…” Jongdeok smiled softly at the memories of a tiny Chanyeol shouting at a much older and stronger Baekbeom to leave him alone. 

“And now you don’t know how to treat him anymore…” Jongin whispered sounding forlorn. 

Jongdeok nodded, “He wasn’t supposed to be vulnerable… but knowing he isn’t an Alpha, that he won’t get the same strong build as us… it scares me because he still thinks he can do all those crazy Alpha things, but his body just isn’t made for it at all. I just wanted to help protect him and I ended up doing the opposite. Because Baekbeom and I were too scared and selfish to see, we made our brother go to you and well… now… now he’s probably going to one of the most dangerous places.” 

Jongin didn’t know how to respond. He only nodded and looked to his mate thoughtfully. The mere idea of always being told to become an Alpha, but presenting as an Omega must have shocked him. Growing up to become the opposite of what you thought… 

“We will keep him safe. And Chanyeol told me he can handle a spear pretty well.” Jongin smiled, “I trust him to be able to fight if he has to.” 

The older brother didn’t say anything and just nodded, “You get some sleep too. I’ll keep watch.” 

A couple of hours later Chanyeol was rudely shaken awake by Yura who shushed him the second he wanted to retaliate. She was the only one in the camp all other members of their little group having gone. For a second Chanyeol was confused but then realized that something was probably wrong. 

“We need to leave.” Yura whispered close to his ear. Chanyeol didn’t question his sister and got up as quietly as he could, then sneaking off with her to find a decent hiding spot away from whatever danger was around them. 

Yura, Chanyeol and two others of their small party were hiding in a small enclosure, hidden by moss and tree’s from whatever it was that had spooked them. Jongdeok, Jongin and a few others were gone, probably to steer their enemies away from them. 

Chanyeol hated this. How vulnerable he felt. He wanted to be useful and help, especially if his mate was in trouble. He didn’t want to just run away with his older sister. 

They rushed through the underbrush and into a small concave behind a large fallen tree, the dark roots sticking up eerily in the dark almost moonless night. Chanyeol had trouble seeing where he was even going due to the lack of light around him. 

“There is some wolves from the local pack… I think they know we’re here so the others are tracking their scent away from us.” Yura explained, “We will wait here for a bit and then move on. The others will find us soon enough once the sun is up.” 

She added on something about wanting Chanyeol to sleep, but the Omega wasn’t having it. He couldn’t sleep. His mate was in danger… His older brother too. All of them were doing something so risky to protect the Omega on route with them. 

The rest of the night Chanyeol stared out from their hiding spot. Every creak and every snapping sound made him flinch, praying that it would be Jongin or Jongdeok coming back and not someone from the other pack. 

Soon enough the sun rose, Yura dragging a tired and lethargic Chanyeol outside with her. They had to move quickly. The faster they got north the better. These packlands close to their own were inhabited by terrible shape shifters, many constantly angry and fighting. There was a reason why Chanyeol’s pack had been so against the idea of helping a stranger, when they were constantly on edge due to their power hungry neighbors. 

Chanyeol and Yura shifted quickly, rushing through the woods. 

Chanyeol felt sick to his stomach. He had to make sure Jongin was alright. He was physically lagging behind due to his worries. He was not focusing on running. He wasn’t focusing on anything, just the need and want to see Jongin alive and well. 

The older Omega hated himself for it. He wished he could ignore these stupid feelings. He never thought that he would be so affected by his Omega hormones. He’d always been independent. He’d always been someone to go and adventure, he finally got his chance and yet he was worrying about his mate, rather than the adventure at hand. Rather than being amazed by all the species of plant life he’d never seen before. 

After rushing through enemy territory for half the morning, Yura finally stopped at a lake. The water was murky and brown, looked rather disgusting, but both wolves were overheated and needed some time to relax before continuing on. 

The two young adults switched to their human form, gasping and sweating as they took a short break. 

“When are we meeting up with the others?” Chanyeol asked. 

Seconds later, a small group of wolves crashed through some bushes, tails wagging, stomachs heaving as they all laid down on the ground, completely and utterly exhausted. 

One dark wolf rushed over to Chanyeol, nuzzling into the human flesh, tongue licking at the human happily. The wolf was also gasping for air, much like the small group of the others was doing, but he laid down by Chanyeol’s side, eyes closing, exhaustion taking over. 

Chanyeol gasped, his heart squeezing at the sight of his mate completely drained. Had the others been running all night long? Did they even stop to drink or eat? 

Chanyeol looked up to his sister who was talking to their brother who had turned into his human form. The oldest looked completely weakened as well. His chest heaving, hands and feet bleeding from small cuts. His eyes half open. Chanyeol didn’t even want to imagine how tired Jongin, who was far younger than his older brother, must have been. 

Chanyeol felt so stupid. He wished he could help his brother, could help his mate in some ways, but once again he was useless. 

Jongin must have noticed how gloomy Chanyeol felt, because the wolf licked at the tall boys’ fingers, nipping at them as though trying to get him to think of something different than whatever was causing him such dismay. 

The Omega curled into the wolf, gripping his fur before letting his eyes close for a moment, breathing in the scent of his mate. He felt safe just being close to Jongin. Knowing the other was okay let his racing heart rest for a moment. He hadn’t even realized just how tense his whole body had been, waiting desperately for his mate to return to him. 

The break was way too short and soon after the small group continued on, running through lands that Chanyeol had never seen before. His wildest imagination could not have conjured up some of the things he’d seen. 

There were all sorts of animals Chanyeol had never encountered before, some bigger than others, some looking similar to those back home, yet others were completely and utterly new to him. He was flabbergasted at the sight of some small creatures and how hideous they were. 

Chanyeol wished he could explore and write down everything about all these different species, learn so much, but they had a mission and they didn’t have time for his childishness. No, they had a job to do and they had to hurry. Jongin had been gone for far too long and he was starting to get antsy. 

Chanyeol felt it. He felt everything. How Jongin worried. How the younger Alpha continuously looked north, heart hammering in his chest, cold sweat breaking out at the mere thought of the last of his family also dying. 

That was what pushed them on. Jongin’s need to go back to his home and their own pack needs to return to theirs. The quicker they got up north to try and rescue Jongin’s pack, the sooner everyone would be back at their home. 

It felt like days until they reached the north. It was far colder than Chanyeol had expected. There wasn’t snow, but an eerie chill ran through the land. The tree’s were smaller, the land far more flat and rocky than the Omega was used to. The animals looked thinner, almost as though starving. 

Jongin bit his lip, “It used to look better… but the winters have gotten longer so the vegetation has started to dwindle. We get by though.” It was as though the Alpha was ashamed, looking over to Chanyeol with a sheepish embarrassment, but Chanyeol didn’t mind the surrounding area at all. If anything, he was amazed that something could even grow here. 

A small plant had made it’s way through a crack in a rock, proudly spreading its petals to the shimmering, cold sun of the north. Chanyeol was amazed at the resilience of the plant and how tough it must have been to break through the rocky surface to face the rays. 

“I don’t smell anything…” Jongdeok growled, walking over to Jongin, making sure to stand between him and Chanyeol. 

The Omega rolled his eyes. Maybe Jongdae or Baekhyun had been alright with their brothers babying them, but Chanyeol wasn’t having it. He wasn’t going to have Jongdeok try and act like some tough older brother, when obviously he hadn’t been in a long time. 

“The enemy pack had everyone hide in the caves… those are a bit further into our territory. We have to be careful here. They’re strong and have a great sense of hearing. And there aren’t many tree’s to take cover under.” 

Their small group went and moved forward, Jongin maneuvering perfectly over every single rock. Chanyeol was amazed, watching almost transfixed as the Alpha moved and hopped so naturally over everything, as though working on autopilot. It was the same for Chanyeol in the deep woods surrounding their pack lands. 

Chanyeol felt weird… as though something was off. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something just wasn’t right… as though they were about to walk into a trap. He didn’t want to stop Jongin though, his Alpha totally determined to make it to his family. Chanyeol didn’t want to stop the other just because he had a bad feeling. 

Chanyeol looked to the side, seeing something glint in the distance. He thought he saw something move behind a rock, but figured it was just a bird. The lack of sleep and rest were getting to him. Exhaustion playing terrible tricks on his mind. 

The others didn’t look much better. The only one with renewed energy being Jongin who had the most to lose due to this plan. Jongin could come back here and everyone could have already been killed… Chanyeol didn’t even want to think that was a possibility, but his tired brain didn’t seem to be be quiet. 

The small group of wolves padded through the rocks, almost in complete silence. No one so much as took a breath too loud, any sound seeming to echo with the cool frosty winds of the north. Everything seemed so distant in the vast northern rock tundra. 

Just as Jongin took another step forward, Chanyeol noticed the same movement as before. Only this time he was quicker and noticed it hadn’t been a bird. No, it was far too large to be a bird. Instead it was a huge dark red wolf with crazed glowing eyes and practically frothing at the mouth. 

The being jumped down from the slightly heightened ground he’d been running on, trying to get at Jongin, who was still racing ahead, the prospect of his family making him completely undisturbed to the outside world. 

Chanyeol was the first to react. He let out a loud shout and pushed off his tired hind legs right before the huge orange wolf could latch onto Jongin. 

Claws ripped into Chanyeol’s side, the pain of deep incisions almost instant. He let out a yelp and toppled over, the large red wolf on top of him. Chanyeol wasn’t the largest, his Omega stature on show as he compared himself to the overgrown wolf resting on him, growling at the wolf who had interrupted his sure kill. 

Before anything else could happen, another growl could be heard and a second later the red wolf was thrown off Chanyeol and launched against a wall of rocks, his back hitting the solid barrier with a thundering crunch. 

Jongin looked wild, eyes never leaving the terrifying red Alpha. 

Chanyeol wanted to stand up and go to his mate, to try and calm him down before he became completely feral, but when he tried to move his whole body ached. Chanyeol let out a soft whimper falling back to the cold, hard ground, hoping Jongin would come to him instead. 

Chanyeol didn’t know how the fight went, but in the end he heard a dangerous snap and a vicious growl coming from Jongin. Chanyeol tried to get up again, Yura at his side, nuzzling his nose, almost telling the Omega to stay down, but the younger boy had to go see his mate. Had to make sure he was alright. 

Of course the commotion brought others to the scene as well. 

A huge group of Alpha’s rushed forward out of small caves, looking what had transpired with their pack mate. From one of the largest caves came a huge group, huddled closely together. Even from far, Chanyeol could tell that the group from the other cave smelled different from the rest of the wolves who had come to see. 

Those at the cave, those were the ones they had to rescue. 

Chanyeol didn’t have time to rest. He barely had time to look if Jongin was alright. Because within seconds a huge load of angry Alpha’s stormed towards their small group. They rushed forward, snapping and growling at them, ready to tear into the intruders. Ready to kill them all. 

Chanyeol felt his heart stutter as an angry looking light brown Alpha rushed forward, Yura throwing herself between her younger brother and the Alpha, defending Chanyeol at all cost. 

The Omega felt useless. He had only been taught how to hunt. He’d been told how to find game out in the woods. He was good with a spear, nobody in their village better than him, but he’d never thought of using it against another wolf. He’d been living a fairy tale all his life and reality was punching him in the face for the first time. Hard. 

He’d been a dreamer and finally Chanyeol understood why nobody wanted to let an Omega out to fight. Sure, he was capable, he knew he was, but his instincts were completely, one hundred percent, against this. His body was shouting ‘fight’ while his brain was telling him ‘no’ and it was one of the most confusing moments of the young wolf’s life. 

He got up, ignoring the pain in his side and rushing forward, teeth snapping at the light brown wolf his sister was fighting with. Claws out and tail in an angry straight line, Chanyeol went to snap at the wolf as well, nipping at his side, claws ready to slice. 

A part of Chanyeol wanted everything to stop. He wanted to get out and go back to his home. He hadn’t thought of all the blood and all the Alpha pheromones swarming through the air before he left for this trip. He hadn’t thought of a fight… 

The light brown Alpha tried to fight of Yura and Chanyeol but failed. The Omega didn’t look back. He didn’t want to see the lifeless body of a shifter he just helped kill. Sure, Yura was the one to strike last, but Chanyeol had been there. Chanyeol had pushed himself off the ground to attack that wolf. 

In the fray of the fighting, Chanyeol noticed that the group of shifters at the main cave weren’t moving… The Omega looked back for one second, just to make sure Jongin, Jongdeok and the others were fine before making his way towards the small group. 

He couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t move… why they would stay there? 

Chanyeol was completely overwhelmed. By everything. The smell, the violence, the pheromones. Everything was too much for the young Omega. He couldn’t concentrate on his surroundings. He could barely continue moving. Just knowing that those figures over there could be Jongin’s family and that they needed help kept him going. 

Of course nothing came easy. The young Omega was thrown off his feet by an Alpha, a shocked gasp leaving Chanyeol. He wasn’t used to fighting in his wolf form. Sure, he’d roughhoused enough with Kyungsoo, but never an actual fight. 

Yet before him stood one of the largest and ugliest beasts Chanyeol had ever laid eyes on. Beige fur, dark red eyes sunken and crazed, drool dripping from pointy, overly large teeth. Chanyeol could make out blood on the side of its muzzle. The beasts stench was almost too much for Chanyeol and the Omega recoiled, gagging when he smelled whatever it was. 

The best growled, swiping a huge paw at Chanyeol. The smaller avoided the attack and moved sideways, only for the best to follow. The Alpha’s eyes were unfocused and crazed, not paying attention to anything but Chanyeol before him. 

Another swipe, another sidestep, but this time Chanyeol didn’t pay enough attention and got hit from the other side. The young wolf rolled onto the ground, the cuts from the previous fight filling with dirt making the Omega hiss in his wolf form at the pain. His back was aching, his muscles screaming at him to stop. 

The large beast jumped on top of Chanyeol, trying to rip at him, but the younger rolled out of the way at the last second. He was moving on pure adrenaline. Everything in his body ached, his fur was matted with blood and overall Chanyeol felt weak and intimidated by everything happening around him. He was trying to figure out a way to get to Jongin’s family, to free them, but the beast was coming for him once more. 

The Omega scurried off, hoping to go near the cage where the others were being held prisoner. 

He wasn’t fast enough. The beast fastened it’s claws into Chanyeol’s backside, pulling the Omega closer. He let out a loud yelp, swiping with his paws at the Alpha that was cutting into the Omega. 

Chanyeol was in so much pain. He felt so sick and tired, but the adrenaline was keeping him going. This need to protect those stuck in the caves, unable to run out, was almost overwhelming. 

He remembered Jongin telling him that Sehun, his twin, had recently gone through heat. Chanyeol could only sympathize with the other and therefore needed to know the other Omega was safe. Chanyeol could also make out the scent of two more Omega’s over there and he had to help protect them. They were innocent. 

Chanyeol didn’t know what came over him. He barely remembered what happened. He just realized he was freaking out. The smell of blood and pain was too much and the Omega pushed the Alpha off, jumped and then swiped at his neck. He managed to get a solid hit because the large Alpha gasped and gurgled, leaving Chanyeol alone. 

The Omega rushed away, afraid that the beast would wake up once more and try and pull him in again and finally kill him. He rushed forward, where he noticed chains holding the small group of local wolves chained to the wall. 

Two Alpha’s; two Omega’s and two Beta’s stood there. The Alpha’s were vibrating in their own skin, eyes ablaze as they watched the intruders fight against those Jongin had brought. Chanyeol could tell that they were itching to get in there and fight. 

He helped free them and without another word the two Alpha’s rushed off. The two beta’s not far behind, leaving Chanyeol with a small, cat eyed Omega and a tall lanky Omega who looked shocked more than anything. 

“We have to get everyone out of here… I don’t think we can fight all of those guys off.” Chanyeol exclaimed, eyes roaming over the bloodbath that was the battle. 

Neither Omega moved. Too shocked to even think about doing anything. Someone had come… someone had been suicidal enough to come up north with Jongin to try and save them… and one of them was even an Omega. A tall and awkward looking Omega, but one none the less. 

Chanyeol ignored the two and rushed back to the fight, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jongin. He had to see him and tell him to leave. They’d unchained his family. They could run away south with them now, but they had to do it quickly. 

If the way to the north was bad, it was nothing compared to the way back. Chanyeol hadn’t thought of that, but it dawned on him, just how draining the journey back would be. Those rogue’s might follow them… 

Jongin was in the middle of battle, fighting three large wolves at once. Chanyeol gasped and rushed forward, tackling one of the three wolves, ignoring his own pain. Ignoring the smarting wounds and aching bones. He just had to keep his mate safe. 

The Omega didn’t know how long they were fighting for until finally someone had caught on and noticed that the prisoners were free. 

Jongdeok struggled over to the group, bleeding and aching, motioning to leave. They couldn’t fight. They weren’t strong enough. They were also too little people. Their small group stood no chance against these buffed up rogues. 

Jongin noticed what was going on around him for the first time in a while. He saw a panting and exhausted Chanyeol. A bright eyed and angry Yifan fighting alongside Yixing and Tao as well as Luhan tearing people to shreds. In the distance Jongin could see Minseok with his brother, trying to keep a distance. 

The young Alpha let out a loud howl, others from the rescue party joining in. It was their sign. Their sign to leave. 

Jongin rushed to Chanyeol, his mate unsteady on his legs. Chanyeol looked worse for wear, bleeding and in pain. He stumbled a little while walking, but not a single sigh or growl of pain was heard from him. 

It broke Jongin’s heart to see his mate like this. To see Chanyeol in pain and keeping it to himself, when it was all Jongin’s fault. If he hadn’t dragged the Omega into this mess he wouldn’t be this hurt. He would be fine; Jongin would make sure of it. 

How they got out of there was beyond Chanyeol. One moment he was fighting, trying to protect Jongin any way he could and the next he was collapsed on his mate’s back in human form, shivering from the cold and his wounds. 

Chanyeol didn’t know how the fight ended. Didn’t know where he was and how far they’d ran… he was in pain though. His upper frame was aching terribly, as though he’d broken some ribs. His cuts were bleeding and probably infected. Overall he wasn’t in great shape. 

Chanyeol was in a daze. He’d go in and out of consciousness, not knowing what was going on. He’d wake up and they’d still be moving. He’d fall back into a fitful and painful slumber, just to wake up and notice they were still running. 

He couldn’t focus, didn’t know who else was with them. How far they’d come. Chanyeol was too exhausted and too hurt to notice. 

Only once they made it to familiar territories did Chanyeol realize that they’d been running without a break. The Omega whined and tried to sit up, but Jongin was moving too quickly. The Omega’s ribs moved, making him hiss in pain. 

Seconds later, Jongin stopped his movements, stopped moving and laid Chanyeol onto the cold forest ground before shifting into his human form. 

“Chanyeol?” Jongin asked, “Chanyeol?!” 

The Omega whined, not able to speak. 

“He’s awake?” Someone else asked and Yura’s face popped up, along with the unknown Omega, who was probably Jongin’s brother, as well as Jongdeok who looked gloomier than ever before. 

“Barely… we need water.” Jongin exclaimed, “He’s burning up. His cuts are infected… why isn’t he healing properly?” The Alpha seemed completely lost, eyes shaking, hands hovering over his Omega’s thin frame, but unable to touch. 

A sack of water was shoved in Chanyeol’s face, the Omega drinking eagerly the last few drops inside it, closing his eyes in pure bliss. 

“The others marked a fake trail…” An Alpha Chanyeol didn’t know walked over, “So we should be safe. We’ve also been eating those berries that mask our scent so we can slow down.” 

“It’s another half day so we should be there soon. No point in stopping too long.” Jongdeok explained to the other who nodded thoughtfully. 

Chanyeol gasped and curled into himself, stomach aching. He felt so sick and so terrible. Never before had he been so hurt. Sure he’d gotten into fist fights with Kyungsoo before, but they’d been nothing but children. This… this was real pain. 

“Jongin…” Chanyeol whimpered, looking over to his mate, “I’m glad we got your family.” 

Jongin smiled, tears in his eyes, “Thanks to you Chanyeol… all of it is thanks to you. I don’t know how to thank you…” 

The Omega smiled as well, hand reaching out to clutch onto that of his mate. The two stayed silently together for a moment, relishing in their scent when Chanyeol was lifted once more, this time by Yura, onto his older brothers back. 

“We have to get back quick and have our healer look Chanyeol over. His wounds should be healing quicker than they are.” The female Alpha explained when Jongin was about to protest, “So let’s go.” 

The run to their village was quick. Chanyeol was brought to the healers tent before anyone else could see him. Jongin, Jongdeok, Sehun and Yura all waited in front of the tent, anxious of any news. 

Of course everyone else in their village noticed the crew coming back and soon Jongdae and Baekhyun were also at the tent. The two were looking for Chanyeol and when they saw Jongin, sitting in front of the tent crying his eyes out they knew something bad had happened. 

“You said you’d watch him!” Baekbeom exclaimed, rushing over to Jongdeok. 

“I did! He got hurt in battle!” 

The oldest brother was fuming, towering over the other pure rage written onto his face, “How could you let him fight? How could you let our baby brother get hurt?” 

Jongdae gasped and looked to Baekhyun. The two Omega’s followed by their mates rushed to Jongin, demanding the full story. Demanding to know why everyone who had come back seemed fine, and yet it was their brother, their lanky and weird Omega brother who was in that tent getting looked at. 

Jongin didn’t know. When he’d seen Chanyeol get hurt by that first Alpha, he’d completely lost it. He just had to protect his mate at all costs and that was actually what got him more hurt. Jongin hadn’t been there. He hadn’t been one of the people protecting Chanyeol… 

“I should have done better…” Jongin whispered, “I’m so sorry!” 

The two Omega’s looked at the younger Alpha before hugging him to their chests. 

It was the next day when the healer walked out of the tent, eyes scanning the anxious people surrounding the area. 

Baekhyun, Kyungsoo, Junmyeon and Jongdae were curled up together as close to the tent as possible, tears streaming down their faces. Their triplet brother was hurt. They didn’t have any information and the panic of the mere idea that he might not make it was starting to settle in. 

Baekbeom, Jongdeok and Yura were sitting together, holding tightly onto one another as they prayed for the youngest of their family to be alright. 

A bit further off was a circle of newcomers, the pack that had been rescued. All of them sat next to Jongin, who had his head on his twin brothers shoulder, eyes blank as he stared straight ahead into nothingness. If anything had happened to Chanyeol… Jongin didn’t know what he would do… He didn’t dare think that far ahead. 

“He’ll make it..” The healer spoke, eyes trained on the future head of the pack, “He needs rest. He needs quiet and he needs his mate.” 

Eyes traveled to Jongin who got up faster than anyone else believed possible. The shifter had pushed himself to the edge when he’d ran fast than most once Chanyeol collapsed. He’d carried the Omega almost the entire way there only resting to drink every once in awhile. All this to keep his mate as safe as possible. 

“Don’t wake him…” The healer spoke, “He needs lots of rest. He needs water as well… I’ll bring him food for when he wakes up… right now you need to be there and just make sure he knows his mate is there for him.” 

Jongin nodded and walked into the healers’ tent. On the ground laid out Chanyeol. His feet peeking out from under the blanket, his long legs too tall to fit under the small blanket. 

His face was pale. His torso marred with scars. Purple bruises lined his rib cage and Jongin could make out some bones that were out of place… Chanyeol was lucky the broken ribs hadn’t punctured a wound. 

His face was pale. Bruises along his cheek. His hair was dirty and matted to his forhead. Beads of sweat rolled down his neck and onto the makeshift mat on the ground. His cheeks were falled in… overall he looked sick. He looked injured and Jongin hated himself for it. 

“I can’t believe I caused this… I’m so sorry!” He whispered moving closer, his own dirty hands gripping those of his mate, “I should have never involved you… dear Chanyeol you’re so beautiful and I’m so sorry that this happened to you…” 

The hand Jongin was holding onto squeezed his fingers lightly. Chanyeol opened one of his eyes, the other far too swollen to do so. 

“Don’t be silly… Thanks to you I got to experience the world… Thank you Jongin.” Chanyeol tried to smile but winced. 

The Alpha felt the tears run down his cheeks. Chanyeol was so strong. His mate was so amazing… never before had he thought that he would meet someone who would be so amazing… but his mate was perfect. 

Chanyeol was in pain, in so much pain, but it didn’t stop him from grinning at his mate. Jongin had stumbled into his life. Had sort of turned everything upside down, but Chanyeol had done that himself by presenting as an Omega. He’d been the anomaly all his life and now he met Jongin who accepted Chanyeol for his weird ways. 

Chanyeol was in agonizing pain, but seeing his mate smile. Seeing his mate safe and sound was what kept him going. 

“I’m just going to nap…” The Omega yawned, so tired and so hurt. 

The last thing he saw was his mate, smiling down at him, tightly holding onto his hand, before sleep overtook Chanyeol. 

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah... Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know with a comment eh? :) 
> 
> Or on [Here](http://ssg-crown.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


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